Longtime Mentor Bill West Honored on 90th Birthday

GAINESVILLE, Texas – Staff and volunteers at Gainesville State School recently honored longtime volunteer Bill West on his 90th birthday.

West has been enrolled as a volunteer at the Gainesville State School since February 2000, where he is a former employee, having worked as a grounds keeper and the warehouse manager. Since his retirement in 1995 he has helped with Catholic religious education of the youth.

He and his wife Mary organized monthly birthday parties on the dorms, as well as Christmas parties. He has participated and organized many Catholic chapel services, ACTS Ministry retreats, as well as mentored many youth while they were here. West has been very active in his church and in the area volunteer resource council, where he is a past president and vice president.

In 2009, West was part of the Group of the Year awards winner for the work in the ACTs retreat. At the volunteer appreciation banquet in October 2015, West and his wife Mary received the Family Volunteer of the Year award.

West is a wonderful mentor, teacher, and council member. He is always willing to lend a helping hand, share a bit of wisdom or listen to anyone who is in need. He has recruited countless volunteers by serving as a role model and a voice in the community about the need for mentors.

West has slowed down this past year due to health reasons, but he is still an active volunteer on the council. We at Gainesville are lucky to have him.

McFadden Sends Youth Home with Backpack of 'Hope'

By Y. Denise Caldwell Community Resource Coordinator, Northern District Parole Office FLOWER MOUND, Texas - Larry Bossaler, McFadden volunteer McFadden Ranch Volunteer Larry Bossaler enjoys his assignment: Making sure that every youth who leaves the McFadden halfway house knows that people are praying for him and wishing him the best in his future. He is the man who brings them their “Good-Bye” backpack. When he delivers the backpacks, he makes sure to do three things – visit with the youth, show the contents of the backpack (because staff put them in the lockers until the youth leaves), and lastly close the visit with a heartfelt prayer. The youth enjoy and appreciate the backpack, the visit and the prayer. Many are a little anxious and scared to leave but knowing that the McFadden volunteers care enough to send them off in this special way, helps them feel a bit less worried. “I always bring an extra backpack,” Larry said. ...

IN MEMORY AND APPRECIATION: Trayce Haynes Alexander

Trayce Haynes Alexander, of Cat Spring, Texas passed away in April. She was a JCO IV at the Giddings State School and began her employment with the Texas Youth Commission on January 5, 2009, as a JCO III. She was promoted to a JCO IV on April 1, 2010. Trayce was a hardworking, loyal and dedicated staff member and friend. Her number one priority was the youth in her dorm and she would drive one hour and forty minutes everyday (even in ill health) to try to make a difference in the lives of the youth she worked with. She was well respected by both staff and youth due to her extraordinary work ethic. The boys could always depend on her to hold them accountable. She is survived by her husband Geoff Alexander and two daughters, Kristyn and Robyn Alexander. Trayce was born on September 3, 1952. She earned a BS from Southwest Texas State University in Law Enforcement.

Canyon Lake Evening Reporting Center

When Comal County Juvenile Probation Chief Kris Johnson joined the department in March 2011, he brought with him a long-term vision to open an Evening Reporting Center (ERC) in the county. ERCs, which require youth offenders to report to specified locations during evening hours for programming, skills building and community service, were first used in Chicago, where juvenile justice advocates needed after school programs to keep their higher risk kids from getting involved in the gang scene. They also serve as an alternative to detention pending a youth’s hearings. ERCs have become common detention alternatives in many communities throughout the United States and are based on research and best practices recognized by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Johnson believed implementing an ERC in Comal County would reduce juvenile crime by providing supervision during the hours crime is most likely to occur. Additionally, it could significantly reduce the cost of deten...

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