Over the Edge

A week ago I was asked to jump off the Brady Sullivan tower to raise money for the Youth Council here in Nashua.

That's sounded scary, downright terrifying in fact, so of course I to agreed to do it.

Donate here! (edited link to 2020 fund raising page for new jump!)

I've had sometime to read up more on what the youth council does and I'm asking you please donate to their cause. This is much more than me having a exciting opportunity to rappel off a sky scrapper, this is about kids at risk.

Stock photo from Pixabay

One of the big programs they have is a court diversion program. This program allows for first time offending juveniles, children, who have committed only minor offensives. To face consequences outside of the court system. Last year only one participant failed to complete their contract, with the program. This in my eyes is huge, as this program helps children who have made a single bad judgement. Because that is exactly what they are, children who made a single mistake. It helps them to not suffer lifelong consequences from a single foolish mistake. After that the program helps to reduce the likelihood, of a second offence.

That alone is fantastic, but this is why it strikes me.

Did you get surprised by the recent college scandal? Where you shocked that wealthy people, used their money to buy their children into colleges, they might not qualify for?

If you search enough you'll also find that wealthy people hire lawyers to make charges against their children go away or have their children face minimal penalties for felonies. It's almost a joke in this country that the better your lawyer are the less likely you will get in trouble. Now I can't speak for what happens at home between the parents and the child for consequences, but those wealthy children rarely have to worry about future back ground checks for jobs.

Me in 1995 for Senior Prom

I grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. I can't name names as the details have been forgotten in time, but I can tell you bored rich kids get in trouble. They make as many bad decisions as any other kid, sometimes more. They will have to cross a serious line, before they even have to do more than apologize to the police officer at the scene. The police know that arresting those kids would only cost the town, and county money, when the city fails to prosecute against a high priced legal team.

The Youth Council program allows children without family money to avoid LONG TERM consequences of  bad decision made with the inexperience of youth. The kids don't get away with with their crime, they still have various tasks to complete as part of the program. They get a chance to learn from their mistake, and to become better members of society. Not every youth can sign up, juvenile officers from the Nashua, Hollis, Merrimack, Hudson, and Litchfield police departments forward arrest records to the program. Where the program processes the records for the best candidates.

If you're still not sure the Youth Council Program is a good idea, imagine the amount of tax dollars saved by the future years of these youth not becoming repeat offender adults.

Please donate to this program, and if you are reading this knowing you are one of those children that benefited from the uneven playing field of socioeconomic classes, toss in a few dollars.

Stock photo from Pixabay