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with them, but have positively
impacted the program like
the Late Herb Long, Wilson
Gilmore, Darwin Mitchell, Ray
Hobbs, and Mary Chris Martin, to name a few. Yvonne also
shared that many of these remarkable people are no longer
with the program, but many still
make a difference with the community. Some programs that
started many years ago like the
12 and Under Finals and Devil
Pups programs are still in existence today.
For Yvonne, she claims her file
cabinets are full of people who
have worked and helped assist
our local youth over the years.
There are many, many stories
that could be shared. One of
the biggest issues their department faces is funding. Yvonne
said, “If we had the funding,
we could be stronger and bigger.” Despite this shortfall, she
claims over the years, everyone
is doing their part to the best of
their ability to contribute to the
youth.
When asked about the lows of
her program, Yvonne shared it he spent his winter and summer
is losing the youth to suicide, breaks working for ODY while
illness or hearing of their pass- attending college. One unique
ing when they are still young. job description Wilson shared
Despite the lows, Yvonne said was his job as a Police Family
their department is “resilient.” Liaison. This