By Emily Randall
Northeast News
Oct. 27, 2010

At a luncheon attended by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, East Patrol Major Anthony Ell and other local leaders Wednesday, Mattie Rhodes staff officially launched a three-pronged initiative to combat violence in Historic Northeast.

The Violence Intervention and Prevention Program reaches out to children through Mattie Rhodes programming and through three area schools, plus focuses on community involvement. The program is funded with a $250,000 federal grant through the Department of Justice.

“The beauty of the VIP Program is it is a collaborative program,” Mattie Rhodes’ Crispin Rea said Wednesday.

The children already involved in Mattie Rhodes after-school programming — through Cultural Arts Exploration for younger children and Explorers for students in grades 6-12 — will gain an expanded message as Mattie Rhodes adopts a new curriculum targeting anti-violence and social issues. Elementary-age youth will hear topics such as conflict resolution, middle school children will cover healthy, drug-free lifestyles and older youth will talk about real-life issues and civic values.

Maria Herrera Garcia, mother of three children involved in Mattie Rhodes after-school programming, said her oldest, a ninth-grader, has been greatly impacted by the program.

“They’ve all taught him to have positive in his life,” she said. “They show that they care for these children. We as a community need to see how we can help these children, not just lock them up and throw away the key.”

Mattie Rhodes is reaching additional children outside its facility walls this school year, as it has placed social workers in Northeast High, East High and James Elementary schools.

Jessica Garcia, a Northeast High social worker, said the social workers have already served 62 children since school began. She said the students are dealing with issues including grief and loss, truancy, substance abuse, depression and anxiety, domestic violence, pregnancy and more. These problems, she said, are what lead to children joining gangs, becoming violent and dropping out of school.

“We know it’s very important to work with young people,” East Patrol Major Anthony Ell said. “I am optimistic that this is going to be a positive step for us changing the community and saving lives.”

The third prong of the VIP Program is community outreach. One way the Mattie Rhodes Center has already begun to develop this area is the Latino Advocacy Taskforce, which kicked off this past May. The taskforce aids families and other secondary victims of violent crime. In its first few months of existence, the taskforce has offered counseling, help navigating the legal system and other services to five families touched by homicide, plus others effected by other violent crimes.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver was responsible for securing the $250,000 federal funding after meeting with Mattie Rhodes Director John Fierro earlier this year in Northeast. Cleaver spoke about the importance of earmarks coming to community services and railed against other members of Congress who wouldn’t pay any attention, he said, to the Midwest if it weren’t for the earmark funding process.

“The people in Washington consider where we live fly-over country,” Celaver said. “To sit in Washington and watch the money got to New York and Chicago and LA would make me want to throw up.”

The Northeast and Mattie Rhodes Center, he said, deserves federal attention, as well.