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TJJD and Partners Celebrate Global Youth Service Day

This summer, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department was joined by 19 county juvenile probation departments, Hays Consolidated School District, and the City of Kyle in celebrating Global Youth Service Day (GYSD), the signature campaign of Youth Service America. GYSD is the largest service event in the world that activates and celebrates the millions of children and youth who find their voice, take action, and have an impact on vital issues. Youth in the juvenile justice system took this opportunity to showcase their ability to give back and make restitution to their local communities.

A total of 48 facilities and organizations engaged more than 4,400 youth in completing 99 service-learning projects. Youth all across Texas contributed more than 13,000 hours of service during the month of April and impacted the lives of an estimated 20,000 citizens.

The State Volunteer Resource Council for Texas Youth received $3,000 for planning and supplies from Youth Service America and the Texas Community Service Association, all of which was disbursed to TJJD facilities and probation departments through a competitive process. The following grants were disbursed: Gainesville State School, McLennan Co. SJCF, Ron Jackson SJCF and Brownwood HWH, Schaeffer HWH and El Paso Parole, York HWH, Tamayo HWH, Jefferson Co. Juvenile Justice Center, Van Zandt Co. Juvenile Probation Department, Bell Co. Juvenile Services, and Potter Co. Juvenile Probation Department.

The service projects impacted the youth just as much as they did the communities. One youth at Gainesville State School who prepared small baskets of fruit and granola bars for a local food pantry, said, “I care about world hunger because once I went hungry. I want to help people who are going through it now and reduce the number of people who are going hungry.”

Another Gainesville youth helped organize the projects at his facility and said, “Everyone thinks teenagers don’t care about the environment or about all the issues we have in today’s world. I was trying to help children by making these ‘boo-boo bunnies’ and I enjoyed this because I know it was for a good cause.” The creative project involved fashioning a washcloth into a small bunny in which an ice cube can be inserted and then applied to minor injuries in children.

It would be impossible to summarize all of the service projects, but here’s a quick look at some of the results:

  • 149,100 tabs collected for Ronald McDonald House
  • 5,149 books collected for children, classrooms, libraries, and recreation centers
  • 4,500 pounds of recyclables and compost collected
  • $3,002 collected for charity
  • 1,483 pounds of food collected for food banks
  • 1,203 meals fed to the homeless
  • 900 pounds of soil moved
  • 607 bookmarkers created for libraries and child abuse awareness
  • $600 in cost savings for local park repairs
  • 550 items of clothing given to the needy
  • 392 food/gift baskets given to children, shelters, hospitals, and residential care facilities
  • 301 boo-boo bunnies made for children’s hospitals
  • 300 flyers/brochures distributed to raise awareness
  • 300 pairs of sock cupcakes for nursing home
  • 190 A-Z coloring books made for young students
  • 180 feet of irrigation pipe laid for community gardens
  • 152 dog blankets/chew toys made for animals
  • 139 bags of trash and litter collected from parks and roadways
  • 101 plants and flowers laid in gardens and parks
  • 100 resource packets were given out
  • 72 young students read to by our youth
  • 69 education pledges and petitions signed
  • 60 bags of food restocked at food bank
  • 60 stuffed animals given to senior residents
  • 52 posters made to raise awareness of social issues
  • 27 surveys taken
  • 21 trees planted
  • 20 vehicles washed for fundraising
  • 20 vendor and 100 chairs tables set up for a community resource fair
  • 16 food collection boxes distributed
  • 12 keyhole gardens built
  • 10 gallons paint used to make repairs
  • 7 fences and 1 gazebo painted and repaired
  • 6 park picnic tables refurbished
  • 3 culverts repainted to remove graffiti
  • 3 cubic yards of mulch spread in a community garden
  • 2 homes partially constructed for needy families
  • 1 BBQ grill constructed for a nonprofit
PHOTO: A youth at Gainesville State School makes a “boo-boo bunny” that will hold an ice cube and be applied to minor injuries in children at local hospitals.

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