By Holly Herman
Reading Eagle
READING, Pa. — Four Berks County juvenile probation drug-and-alcohol specialists work around the clock meeting with juveniles and their families to help them stay clean and sober.
They will often stop at the juveniles’ homes in the evenings. They also provide programs in the community.
For their devotion to their jobs, the Caron Treatment Center awarded the team the Legal/Professional Law Enforcement Award during its 18th annual community services awards banquet.
The team consists of Assistant Chief Probation Officer Julie A. Kirwan and probation officers Ryan W. Shutt, Andrea L. Neider and Barbara D. Dancy.
“This team has so much passion for their jobs,” Jeffrey G. Grego, deputy chief probation officer, said after the award was presented to the team May 29 during the banquet at the Abraham Lincoln hotel. “It’s fabulous for this great recognition for the team.”
The team members supervise 45 juveniles between the ages of 10 and 18.
Kirwan said the team is committed to helping the kids.
“Some of these kids start as early as middle school,” Kirwan said. “We are able to have specialists to identify the kids with drug-and-alcohol issues.”
The juveniles are in the program for six months to a year and undergo routine urine tests for drugs and alcohol.
“We see the kids and their families about two to three times a week,” Dancy said.
Shutt said the primary drugs the kids use are prescription drugs, heroin and synthetic substances.
Dancy said the difficulty of the job is that the probation officers don’t see the fruits of their labor.
“Recovery is a long process,” she said.
Recovering Coaching Service Inc., Reading, which provides services for juvenile and family drug-and-alcohol issues, nominated the juvenile probation team for the award.
“After working with these probation officers for years, I have seen their commitment and compassion to help these young adults make a change,” said Sam Albert, chief executive officer of Reading Coaching Service. “There are people who end up with issues. It’s a brain disease, but there is a way out. The average age they start is 12.”
Sarah Glaswald, Caron public relations and social media strategist, said the award was based on the team’s tireless efforts with young people in the community who, at an early stage in their lives, are experiencing the negative legal consequences of drug-and-alcohol use.
“These officers work with much care, compassion and understanding and are armed with extensive knowledge of the disease of addiction,” Glaswald said. “This is a team of professionals that is truly, although quietly, making a difference in the lives of kids who define the future of our community.”