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News
Secretary Daly’s Weekly Letter
Last week was a productive and busy time for DJJ staff, our providers, and our stakeholders, as we continued our work in bettering the lives of Florida’s children and families. I hope you will take a moment to read the stories about the accomplishments of our agency staff, our colleagues, and the youth in our care.
As a reminder, don’t forget that I am always looking for opportunities to showcase the work you all do – on and off the clock – to enrich our communities. I know there is even more going on than what I report here, so I would like to encourage each of you to keep the weekly letter in mind and remember to share your good news. It’s easy – email news@djj.state.fl.us or call (850) 921–5900 by Thursday at noon.
Sincerely,
Christina K. Daly
Friends, family, co-workers and colleagues of Delinquency Prevention Specialist Marie Boswell came together in Miami to celebrate her retirement after an impressive 47 years of dedicated service to the state of Florida and the Department. Marie was described as a living legend and priceless. She was called a hero, an all-star, and a one of a kind soul who did things her way. Before the festivities had ended, she was even described as “the founder of Prevention.”
Prevention Chief of Programs and Policy Marcus Smith and Circuit 17 Chief Probation Officer Cassandra Evans served as the MCs for the event. Among those who shared their reflections of Marie included Deputy Secretary Tim Niermann, Assistant Secretary for Prevention and Victim Services Alice Sims, Operations and Training Director Yvonne Woodard and Chief Probation Officers Frank Manning and Elaine Thompson. All of these reflections served as tributes for Marie’s distinguished career with DJJ as she worked to improve the lives of children and families throughout South Florida.
Pictured above (from left to right): Assistant Secretary Alice Sims, Marie Boswell and Deputy Secretary Tim Niermann
Marie thanked all of her well-wishers for their expression of love and support and asked those in attendance to continue their efforts to improve public safety and improve the lives of youth and families that they serve. Earlier in the day, Marie was recognized by the Circuit 11 Juvenile Justice Circuit Advisory Board (CAB) Chair Marie Osborne and other CAB members for her years of service and commitment to serving the board and the youth of that community. On behalf of DJJ, I want to wish Marie all of the best in her retirement.
Congratulations to Lee Payne and Cathelya Burnett for being recognized as the Information Technology (IT) Employees of the Month for June 2018. Each month, IT recognizes one employee from Headquarters and one from the field using a peer nomination process. Being nominated by their peers speaks volumes to their work ethic and dedication to this agency.
Congratulations to the newest officers from the Pinellas Regional Juvenile Detention Center including: Juan Ruiz Dros, Steven Letezia, Jamal Douglas and Michael Johnson. Each of these men (pictured left with Pinellas Major Joseph Seeber) graduated from the Hillsborough Community College Academy on August 3.
I’m pleased to share the success story below that comes to us from a DJJ youth with the Eckerd Connects Project Bridge program in Circuit 17:
“My name is Katherine. I just turned 21 years old. I received my GED this year. I must say it was a long journey for me, but I never gave up. I remember thinking I could never achieve this goal. My first time taking my Social Studies test, I failed, but I never stopped believing in myself. With hard work and dedication, anything is possible. I would cry when I couldn’t understand certain things. My GED instructor, Ms. Claire, worked with me consistently day-by-day to help me achieve my goal. She would call me early in the morning and tell me she’s at the library and it’s time to study! I remember wanting to stop, but I would push myself to keep going. Set your goal, believe in yourself and set out to do it! And to do it well, always strive to achieve excellence…you can achieve anything!”
Pictured above (from left to right): JPO Roy Stevens, Secretary Specialist Kathy Stover, JPO Danneil Ainsworth, JPOS Ann Marie Campbell, SJPO Allis Richardson, JPO LaSheri Baker, CPO Wydee’a Wilson, and JPO Kenzy Pierre-Louis
Pictured above: JPOS Thrasher (Far Left), JPO Claudio (Far Right), along with Ocala Police Department and Ocala Fire Rescue
The Circuit 17 Community Faith Network in Broward County recently held their third annual Family Conference at the Mt. Zion AME Church in Oakland Park. DJJ was well represented during the conference and featured four presenters including Assistant Secretary for Prevention and Victim Services Alice Sims, Chief Probation Officer Cassandra Evans, Juvenile Probation Officer Supervisory Winsome Batiste and Delinquency Prevention Specialist Marie Boswell.
Our presenters joined countless other community stakeholders including members of law enforcement, education and ministry who provided the youth in attendance with valuable advice. Advice centered on reacting to police vehicle stops, delinquency prevention programs, human trafficking, gang involvement, negative effects of social media, civil citation, records expunction, mental health issues and surviving active shooters.
Pictured above (from left to right): Yvonne Woodard, Operations and Training Director; Marie Boswell, Delinquency Prevention Specialist, Circuits 11, 15, 16, and 17; Alice Sims; Assistant Secretary, Prevention and Victim Services; Second row (left to right): Eugene Morris, State and Federal Director; Audrey “Pat” McGhee, Delinquency Prevention Specialist, Circuits 6, 10, and 13; Verla Lawson-Grady, Community Engagement Coordinator; and Marcus Smith, Policy Chief at the Family Conference.
Congratulations to Sickles High School in Hillsborough County which was named the Tampa Area winner of the contest. The Sickles High School winning video can be seen at www.TeenPSA.org. The teachers and students who created the video were honored by the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team for their accomplishment. KinderVision Foundation is a recognized charity of Major League Baseball.
JDAI Coordinator Minnie Bishop discussed updated to the DRAI. There were also updates on Circuit Advisory Board initiatives, residential re-entry programs and the delinquency bench book. Federal Programs Manager Racquel Piper provided a federal update on compliance monitoring and Title II. The meeting also featured a visit to the Hillsborough County Courthouse to attend a delinquency adjudicatory hearing followed by tours of the Mary Lee House and the Hillsborough County Child Protection and Advocacy Center.
Pictured above (from left to right): SAG Vice Chair Judge Daniel Dawson, SAG Chair Dwayne Maddron, and Prevention Assistant Secretary Alice Sims listen as Deputy Secretary Tim Niermann makes a point at the SAG meeting.
Congratulations to the Food Services team at the Pasco Regional Juvenile Detention Center who was presented with the Cooking with Love Award from the Central Region Detention Office. This award is handed out to the kitchen team with the most appealing youth lunch trays, and their winning tray can be seen below. The Pasco team was presented with a certificate and a box of cupcakes.
Pictured above (from left to right): FSW Marian Topakian, FSW Sonia Rodriguez and FSD James Vanscyoc (Not Pictured FSW Stephanie Shirley)
Also at Pinellas RJDC, eight of our young men participated in the local Boys Court, where they had an opportunity to listen to guest speakers who emphasized forgiveness to overcoming obstacles. Upon returning to the facility, Sargent Gena Clark was prepared with an activity that showed our youth the value of forgiveness. The game was followed by a sweet treat for all eight of the youth who participated.
Finally, Facility Training Coordinator Freda Isom from Pinellas RJDC held a team building event for all of the juvenile detention officers in training. Ms. Isom coordinated a barbeque lunch of epic proportions and our training detention officers had a great time getting better acquainted, despite the rain.
Purchasing Director Michele Cook and Purchasing Specialist Christian Wigglesworth from the Bureau of General Services recently attended the Orlando Supplier Diversity Exchange at the University of Central Florida. The Supplier Diversity Exchange, which is organized by the Department of Management Services, serves as a forum for local small businesses to interact with state, county and federal government representatives. The event serves as a way for government procurement representatives to share how small businesses can get involved in procurement opportunities. This event also provides a way for buying representatives to meet face-to-face with woman, veteran and minority-owned businesses in order to increase the diversification of government spending.