Juvenile Home library receives donation
This was written for Battle Creek’s February 2020 Scene Magazine. Photo provided by The Mitten Word Bookshop in Marshall, Michigan.
Calhoun County Juvenile Home staff visited the Mitten Word Bookshop in Marshall, Michigan to receive the books donated from the holiday book drive.
There are aspects of County Government that we don't often talk about simply because they don't require the same sort of promotion or discussion as public hearings or events. The Calhoun County Juvenile Home is a crucial part of county operations, although the work is done without fanfare.
In January, the Mitten Word Bookshop in Marshall donated over a dozen books to the Calhoun County Juvenile Home's library. These books were donated as part of a holiday-season book drive at the store and books donated were divided between the libraries at the Juvenile Home as well as Harrington, Gordon, Hughes, and Walters Elementary Schools. One of the store's employees, Shannyn Stevens, is an English major at Western Michigan University, and managed the program, which ultimately collected 75 books.
The books donated to the Juvenile Home add to an essential aspect of the Juvenile Home's operations. Bookshelves line every wall of the Juvenile Home's basement level, in the common area outside of the classrooms. Many books are worn from years of use: The Juvenile Home staff and teachers take great care to repair bindings or even order duplicate copies of books that are most beloved by the kids.
"Reading is an important part of our educational and behavior management programming at the Juvenile Home," said Tori Benden, Director of the Juvenile Home. "All residents have a book with them at all times and are expected to read quietly when they are not engaged in a structured activity."
The Calhoun County Juvenile Home provides a short-term, safe, and humane environment for detained youth pending further court action. Also, a specialty program called Empowered Youth Experience Success (EYES) provides at least 12 weeks of progressive behavioral treatment for delinquent kids. Youth are active in school while at the Juvenile Home, which is provided by the Calhoun County Intermediate School District.
The emphasis on reading is intentional and part of the Juvenile Home's cognitive behavior approach to helping young people. In addition to school and reading, participants receive individual and group therapy with a licensed therapist, and a token-economy system is used to teach and encourage appropriate behaviors.
The books donated to the Juvenile Home from the Mitten Word Bookshop holiday book drive are integral to the success of the Juvenile Home's program and the experience that the youth have while they're there. No phones, no computers—the kids have access to books. More now, thanks to the generosity of the Mitten Word Bookshop's book drive.
"The thoughtfulness of The Mitten Word Bookshop to organize this project is greatly appreciated," Benden said. "The Marshall community continues to impress me with its generosity, care, and concern shown to our youth detained at the Calhoun County Juvenile Home."
