892019 Debbie in ELL

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Page 20 991266 April 9 2015 991266 Edmond Life amp Leisure

y Steve Gust

Believing she has been able tomake a difference in the lives of young people Debra Forshee will beleaving in June as president and CEO

of Youth Services for OklahomaCounty IncShe will step down after nine years

to enter the next phase of life mdash sheand her husband Richard will bespending more time with their grand-children

She said she is hoping for thesmoothest of transitions with her suc-cessor whoever that is That searchcontinues and she urged anyone in-terested to contact Jim Farris atjamesjamesfarriscom

ldquoThis is a good time to retirerdquo she

said ldquoThe agency is in good shaperdquoThe operation at 201 NE 50 af-fects an estimated 3000 youth ayear Most are troubled and often onthe wrong side of the law Manyarent easy to help she said

ldquoSome of the ones who need thehelp the most are the hardest tolikerdquo she said Most of the youngpeople dont have the social skills toget jobs Some cant even read

The organization in operationsince 1972 tries to make a differencein the challenged lives of its clients

through crisis intervention counsel-

ing a shelterand other pro-grams designedto put them onthe right path

A four-weekcourse is of-fered first of-fenders ages8-17 Accompa-nied by at leastone of theirparents theyare taught life skills to help the familymove forward in a positive way

An offshoot of that is one Forsheeinstituted the re-entry programwhich works to weave formerly incar-cerated youth back into the commu-

nityYouth Services for OklahomaCounty is a nonprofit member of United Way and relies largely on pri-vate funding ldquoReach for the Starsrdquo isits largest annual benefit set this yearfor April 17 at the Chevy BricktownEvents Center Forshee remembers ayoung woman who spoke at theevent years ago and awed the audi-ence with her story of how theagency had made an impact

Offers poured in from peoplewanting to help pay for her college

as well as room and board and a

computerThe girl a victim of family abuse

who had seen her brother killed tookthe offers and appeared to beheaded for a bright future

ldquoShe was doing well and then gotinvolved in the family drama andchaos againrdquo Forshee said ldquoShe quitcollege I shed tears over thatrdquo

But the story didnt end there Theyoung woman is still fighting back

ldquoShes back on track working as awaitressrdquo she said ldquoShe has her ownapartment and is going to school towork as a nurserdquo

A young man involved in a gangshooting had an interest in wrestlingand won a full scholarship to college

ldquoHe didnt even last a semesterrdquo

Forshee said Yet they didnt give upon himHe expressed an interest in the

culinary field and was eventually ledto an expert in Tulsa

ldquoHe makes great cupcakes nowrdquoForshee said

The agency has about 50 employ-ees and Forshee said they make ahuge difference in what is accom-plished

ldquoWe have the most wonderfulstaffrdquo she said ldquoTheir heart is in theright place and they do the right

thing for the right reasonsrdquo

Public relations director Emily Langsaid she has seen the results of For-shees work

ldquoHer passion for the job is obvi-ousrdquo Lang said ldquoThe people who she

works with want to commit andthey want to helprdquoAnother fan is Betsy Mantor who

serves on the board of directorsldquoDebbie has taken the passion she

has for children and turned it into athriving nonprofit that is both a greatservice to teenagers at-risk and lovedby the community She will be greatlymissedrdquo Mantor said

The challenges remain Forsheesaid

ldquoWere dealing sometimes withthird-generation gang membersrdquo she

said ldquoYou have a father son andnow a grandfather all with gang tiesAnd many times the grandfather isproud to have his grandson in agangrdquo

Yet she continues to work to makelives better even in small ways

ldquoFor instance we have a programthat lets our kids go to the promrdquoshe said by providing clothes andflowers

ldquoWhen other kids are talking aboutthe prom in school our kids donthave to hang their heads and not be

part of the conversationrdquo she said

Youth Services leader to step downNine years of helping troubled youngsters

Debra Forshee

After drawing over 7500 revelerslast month Citizens Bank of Ed-mondrsquos Heard On Hurd returns todowntown Edmond from 6 to 10pm Saturday April 18 at the cornerof Broadway and Hurd with moremusic more food and more localshopping For Jill Castilla presidentand CEO of Citizens Bank of Ed-mond 2015 is shaping up to be a

banner year for the street festivalldquoThere was an incredible energy atMarchrsquos Heard On Hurd and Im soexcited to carry that momentum for-ward to the April festivalrdquo said

Castilla who curates the event ldquoIwas thrilled by the number of peoplewho came out to enjoy themselvesand so many of them stayed forhours to enjoy the local talent onstagerdquo

Aprilrsquos Heard On Hurd will featuremusic from homegrown talent likethe Americana and roots rock of Aaron Pierce the pop and soul

stylings of the Wurly Birds and thebold folk-rock of Beau JenningsAttendees can also enjoy a variety

of local culinary fare from food trucksincluding Taste of Soul Egg Roll

Taste of Soul Chicken amp WafflesBricktown Brewery Truckburger CafeacuteBella on Wheels Snow SrsquomoreRoughtail Brewery Evoke Sip TruckLa Gumbo Yaya Big O Pork andDreams The Flying Pig BBQ 2 Broth-ers Bistro The Saucee SicilianJerkycom Roxyrsquos Ice Cream SocialKatiebugrsquos Shaved Ice Epic PopsSmokinrsquo Okies Mobile Smokehouse

Klemms Smoke Haus Twist PretzelsPhil Me UP Cheesesteaks Off theHook Seafood and Lalorsquos I Love MyTaco Chop and Grill

ldquoHeard On Hurd is a celebration of

all things local and a showcase for allthat downtown Edmond has to offerrdquoCastilla said ldquoThe festival grows everymonth Therersquos more to do and morepeople coming out for a beautifulevening with family and friendsrdquo

Beyond the food and music finelocal retailers will man pop-up shopsselling unique clothing gifts homedeacutecor items and more from Roost The

Little Bubble The Golden Type 405Mobile Boutique Anabellersquos CargoRoom Retropolitan Clothing KanzaCreations Kerry Billington CargillSmart Art and Side Street Glass

Next lsquoHeard on Hurdrsquo event scheduled for April 18