ABOVE: Katie Osterbur recently joined Laura Williams on 1490 WDAN’s Community Connection
This coming Friday, February 2nd, at Turtle Run; the annual Peer Court Auction will have loads of donated items, and Illini sports tickets are only the beginning, up for bid. Paul Sermersheim and Tom Wagner will once again be leading the show.
Katie Osterbur recently joined Laura Williams on 1490 WDAN’s Community Connection program. And she once again took us back to that moment 30 years ago when five female attorneys in Vermilion County decided, “Wait a minute, there’s got to be a creative way to reach youngsters who have made a mistake and set them on the right track.” And the idea of a Peer Court, a program for teens trying to find their way, was born. But as Osterbur recalled, the idea was new at the time. And bringing in volunteer teen peers made this diversion program work.
AUDIO: There was no information or research saying whether or not they were effective. But these women really believed in it. So they developed a Peer Court Program. They found community members to sit on the board, and started outlining a program that could work with youth; side by side to the court system, but not within it. The concept took off. The community starting using it. Teens started volunteering.
And Osterbur stated that all years these later, it’s still fantastic to watch the changes in young participants.
AUDIO: The kids and families we work with; they buy in, they’re amazing. The parents communicate, work with us, to make sure that their kids are successfully completing. When you watch these kids start and then finish; “I don’t want to do this,” to the “Hey, I got this!”
Doors at Turtle Run will open at 6 PM this Friday, February 2nd for the Peer Court Auction. Tickets are $10 at the door, and the live auction begins at 7 PM. There will also be the silent auction, 50/50 tickets, and much more.
To hear all of Laura Williams’ interview with Katie Osterbur, please go to https://vermilioncountyfirst.com/the-community-connection/
