Written by Ronnie Glynn
Tennessee Representative
Nashville, TN – Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of attending two events at the Montgomery County courthouse. The first one was the veteran treatment court graduation for over 20 veterans who had made a mistake and were given a second chance to make things right.
As each veteran came up to the podium, they gave a speech on how VTC had changed their lives. Not just their own lives but their family’s lives as well. They talked of being sober for 12 to 17 months and some as much as two years. They gave credit to the staff, their mentors, and the judge for seeing something in them that they didn’t see in themselves.
It was really quite refreshing. They were surrounded by family and friends who had come to see them receive their certification, VTC coin, and take pictures of that glorious moment. There were tears of joy, not only in the veterans’ eyes but in their families’ eyes, as well as they watched their loved ones’ transformation into better people. It really does the heart well to watch folks be thankful for a second opportunity to do it right.
Two days later, I went back to watch Montgomery County Juvenile Court Proceedings. It was really disheartening to watch Mr. Moss print off 17 pages of charges that our kids will be in court for. Keep in mind, that this is just for one day. The Juvenile Court is open five days a week.
I watched as child after child came before the judge to hear their next step. All of these kids were flocked “a parent,” lawyer, SRO, DCS, Probation Officer, and caseworker. In so many of these cases, the mother was the only parent there. As I turned and looked around the courtroom, something was very clear to me: Where were the fathers? This is in no way to say that mothers can’t handle their kids, but it’s something about a father in a child’s life that really makes a difference.
Example: Of all the cases that were heard that day, the ones who had a father present were those who were coming off probation and resuming a regular life. Unfortunately, it was evident that some of those kids were gonna be back in court, just by their demeanor and their attitude toward the rules of law. Furthermore, I had the newly informed understanding that the recidivism rate for juveniles was three times as high as those in treatment court.
This is my call to action. Five years ago, I decided to join Big Brother’s Big Sister because I wanted to make a difference. Although the journey to make a difference in a child’s life can sometimes be frustrating and difficult, it has been shown to pay dividends in the end. My little brother is still in school and doing very well. I put him to work every summer and will continue to do so until he is out of school.
For the last two years, I have been working with the Mid-TN Boys and Girls Club and an outstanding committee of Clarksville leadership to bring the BGC to our community. It’s official, Clarksville BGC will be starting this summer. Numerous organizations across the county work with young men and women.
Unfortunately, many are in single-family homes. If you are an organization that specializes in working with young men and women, please get in touch with my office, State Rep. Ronnie Glynn. I want to speak with you directly to see how we can help our young folks who may not know you exist.
I want to be able to compile a list of organizations that are available for young kids and add them to my website. When I go to public speaking events or town halls, I can also provide that list. We have an opportunity to save our kids. Let’s make it happen.
