Juvenile Court Thanks OSS District for Support of Impactful Youth Litter Collection Program
Juvenile Court Thanks OSS District for Support of Impactful Youth Litter Collection Program
[Tiffin, OH — Jan. 10, 2023] — Judge Jay A. Meyer and the Seneca County Juvenile Court wish to thank the Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca County Joint Solid Waste Management District (“OSS District”) for another year of successful collaboration in support of the Court’s Litter Collection Program. Since 2011, the OSS District has generously supported the Court’s Community Service/Restitution Litter Collection Program which provides a great opportunity for many of our area’s youth to beautify and improve our community, while simultaneously allowing them the chance to make amends for their past mistakes.
Participating youth, supervised by the Juvenile Court’s Director of Community Outreach Jim Jarrett, scour our community picking up waste and large debris. The youth then sort, recycle, and appropriately dispose of all remaining waste. In so doing, our community is cleaner, more beautiful, and protected from dangerous waste located at the roadside. A special thanks is also due to Mark Zimmerman and Greg Breidenbach at the Seneca County Engineer’s Office, the Township Trustees, the Seneca County Sheriff’s Department, and the Tiffin Police, all of whom provided extensive assistance to the youth throughout the year in support of the Litter Collection Program.
In return for the youth’s cleanup efforts, the OSS reimburses the Court for the great work of Jim Jarrett and our participating youth. Since 2011, the OSS District has reimbursed the Court almost $44,500.00 for our Program’s beautification efforts, which the Court has used to help support Court programs and purchase necessary equipment.
Jim Jarrett works hard to ensure that participating youth have a safe and valuable experience. In a single day this past summer, Jim and his team covered 35 miles and collected four bags of trash, a mattress weighing several hundred pounds, a washing machine drum, tires, and a plastic chest. Jim noted that the best part of the Litter Collection Program is “witnessing youth have that ‘aha’ moment when they realize the damage litter can do to a community and how they want to change that moving forward. After seeing all of the litter, the youth often comment that they will never litter again and will encourage others to do the same.”
Judge Meyer describes the collaboration with the OSS District as “a key component to rehabilitate many of our community’s youth. Thank you to the OSS District for helping us make a positive difference in the lives of our participant youth while simultaneously beautifying our community. The ability to teach our youth the importance of caring for our environment, while at the same time allowing them to be part of the solution is invaluable.”
Judge Meyer and the Juvenile Court would like to thank the OSS District for its long-time support of the Court’s Litter Collection Program and its participants. Participating youth leave the Program with a new appreciation for keeping our community clean and a strong sense of pride that they helped make our community a safer and more beautiful place.