Youth at McFadden Learn to be 'Car Smart'

Oil changes, flat tires and dead batteries are just a few of the automotive repairs youth at McFadden are learning how to fix as part of “Car Smart,” a 2018 State Volunteer Resource Council Innovation Grant program.

The funding came from the SVRC but it took the generosity of Tim Miller, owner of Grapevine Motors and a committed volunteer at the halfway house, and Oswaldo “Ozzie” Patino, a certified auto mechanic, to get the program off the ground.

Miller recently delivered a black 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt to the Ranch.   “When Mike (Mike Stine President of the McFadden Community Advisory Council) asked if I would donate a car I said yes,” said Miller.   “It’s a standard and needs work but it drives. “

The Cobalt, in fact, was not the clunker one might have expected. Staff noticed that the car appeared to still be a nice ride.

Miller replied that “all his cars are nice.”  He added that he started working on cars when he was a teenager and that led to Grapevine Motors.

“I didn’t go to college,” he said. “I started working on cars and here I am.”

Miller also is a certified mechanic and he’s willing to help teach the program as well.
Patino will teach up to 40 youth how to change a flat using a floor jack and the safety stand;  how to check the fluids – oil, brake, transmission and water;  and they’ll learn how to change the headlights, brakes and brake pads and more.

“I wanted to do the class because I want to help the boys learn a skill that they could use when they get back home,” said Patino.   “They could maybe get automotive jobs, too.”

The program runs until April 2019 and aligns with the automotive program being taught at the secure facilities.

So far, six young men -- CS, DC, DV, GL, GV and ML -- have received Certificates of Completion and a pair of work gloves for successfully finishing the six week program.

- Y. Denise Caldwell, Community and Family Relations Coordinator for the Northern Region

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...

TJJD News & Announcements

Search This Blog