Youth and Family Center Builds Bridges Between Cops and Kids
By Shirley Morgan, Site Coordinator
Officer Dave Schmidt and his wife Cindy and his daughters Megan and Hanna.
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It's the new thing in town, it's all the rage, and Megan and Hanna Schmidt were among the first to sign up. It's not a club or anything to worry parents; in fact, it's a place for parents and kids to spend time together.
The new Village PAL Youth Activity and Family Resource Center, which opened in January, is a first for this unincorporated rural community. It supports the mission of the Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime, which is the Weed and Seed site for the Mount Hood Corridor in Oregon, and is the result of a partnership between the Police Activity League and Clackamas County Sheriff's office.
Officer David Schmidt, his wife Cindy, and their two children live in the community and volunteer at the center. Officer Schmidt plans to lead talks for kids at the center about what it is like to be a cop, as well as informative sessions about the dangers of methamphetamine. He also wants to organize field trips to the police station for tours.
“I work the night shift,” said Schmidt, “And often kids do not see me in a very nice setting when we are arresting someone.”
Schmidt's perception is a correct one. According to a recent survey of children in the community regarding their attitudes about cops, 90 percent of the children surveyed said that they did not like cops because they “make mistakes, are pigs, get in your business, arrest you, cause trouble, are greedy, and intimidate us.” The 10 percent who indicated that they liked cops said police officers “give their life to protect us and keep people in line.”
“It is our family goal to get involved in the center so that the community can see that we are just a regular family just like they are,” Schmidt said. “Cindy and I find that the new Youth Activity and Family Resource Center actually helps facilitate community connection.”
The kids in the community have demonstrated their love for the new center by being its greatest marketers and telling their friends about it. Members of the area's small Hispanic community are already joining up as well.
The goals of the center are to provide homework tutors, educational trips, substance abuse education, computer training, English as a second language programs, games (pool, foosball, air hockey, ping pong), parenting classes, and opportunities to learn more about how law enforcement works in the community.
The center emphasizes the role of the family. It will provide families with various educational materials to help them understand the dangers of illegal substances as well as refer families to needed resources, such as counseling, substance abuse treatment, and assistance with domestic violence. The center requires that parents come in with their children, fill out a membership application, and attend an orientation to learn about the center's goals to protect youth and to educate them about the dangers of using illegal substances.
Schmidt said his daughters love coming to the center because it is safe. They receive one-on-one tutoring, play games, and get a snack; they can just be kids and have fun without the peer pressure and bullying often found in a school environment.
The new center is already creating quite a stir and getting more people involved in new and creative ways. The center has admitted more than 10 kids and 22 volunteers, some of whom are retired teachers, principals, and local law enforcement officials.
“We love it here,” said Cindy. “It is like coming home, where you are greeted with a smile. It is nice for us as a family because when we get home the kids already have their homework done, and we are spending more quality time together. One of the girls is actually helping me do the cooking.”
The center receives federal funding through the Drug-Free Communities grant as well as from Weed and Seed. Grassroots coalition efforts raised close to $100,000 in cash and in-kind goods to open the center.
I have lived in this community for 32 years, and we are making history with this center. It has been awesome. Kids are coming out of the woodwork wanting to get in, because there has never been a place for them to go other than school. We think that this center is going to be a huge success!
For more information, contact:
Shirley Morgan
Mt. Hood Coalition Against Drug Crime
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