¶ … Caring Mind and Helping Hand Made a Difference have discovered a whole new world of resourcefulness, of personal and professional growth outside the relative comfort of my university environment, and I am excited to share that in this essay. Thank you very sincerely for this opportunity.

In these troubled times, there are a limitless number of ways young people can become distracted with, disinterested in, and derailed from their intended outcomes - more ways perhaps than any previous generation. The problem stirs the spirit of alert citizens and awakens the consciousness of communities that listen and care.

In Kentucky, and elsewhere, for myriad reasons and within a diversity of environments, there are ways kids can and do get into trouble. My experience working with the Kentucky juvenile justice system brought me face-to-face with some of those kids and a few of those issues.

They were from dysfunctional families; they had experimented with easily available drugs; they hung out with peer groups locked into violent and mesmerizing electronic games; and they were turned off by overcrowded schools with teachers too busy to tutor a failing student. They got in trouble with the law, and felt like they were hopelessly lost and alone.

But there was hope. I was proud to have served an internship in the Court Designated Workers Office. Six of our kids graduated from Juvenile Drug Court; two got their GED.

And by far the most rewarding moments for me came when we presented our Project Prom, during which eight very excited girls were treated to new dresses, cool hairstyles, fresh makeup and fashionably lovely nails for the prom.

I could see the sparkle in their spirits, as their hope was renewed. For me, it was more than just rewarding; it was the joy in sharing what the girls were experiencing - sheer magic.