Betty Marion White Ludden was born on January 17, 1922. She was a pioneer of early television with a career both in front of and behind the camera that spanned eight decades. She was a household name, a source of laughter for several generations, and when she passed away on New Year’s Eve 2021, she was one month away from her 100th birthday. One of the most unknown but notable notable contributions to the world was her love of animals. In honor of her 100th Birthday, people all over the world made donations to their local animal shelters, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. What a life lived, and what a legacy she leaves behind. What an example of the impact that one person can have in the world.
Willis Piepergerdes (Pie-per-ger-des) was born on July 22, 1906. The son of a farmer, he grew up learning to grow things, take care of livestock and enjoyed spending time with his brothers. He was not famous, and chances are you have never heard of him or his last name. But he had a granddaughter in 1978, Katie Booth, who loved and idolized him. Not because he was famous, but because in his late 70’s he always knelt to her eye level and hugged her when she came to visit. He told her that she could accomplish anything. For those of you who missed it, that granddaughter was me, and while my grandfather passed away when I was 4 ½ years old, at 43 I still have a picture of him in my office on my desk. My grandfather was not as famous as Betty White, but he made an impact on me that has lasted my whole life.
You might be asking what this Piepergerdes fellow has to do with Betty White or Youth Services. I would answer with a question; "What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?" The reality today is that our youth face a harsh world and future, one that has only been made more so by the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Social anxiety, academic stress, and an economic downturn have wreaked havoc on all our lives. However, we know the youth, especially youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth, are disproportionally impacted. As 2022 begins, I’d ask you to reflect on the past 24 months and look forward to this year's potential. If you are not already involved in making the lives of our local youth better, I would encourage you to become that one caring adult in the life of a youth. You can be a coach, a mentor, or a tutor. If you need ideas on how to start, reach out to Joe Gibson at the Ithaca Youth Bureau to see how you can become involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program or call 607-273-8364. Reach out to Shelley Lester and get involved with the Rural Youth Services Program housed at Cornell Cooperative Extension or call 607-272-2292.
Now more than ever our youth need us, they need you! You do not have to think you are as funny as Betty White and you do not have to have a cool last name like Piepergerdes, you just must be willing to show up and care!
Let’s make 2022 the Year of Youth in Tompkins County!
Kate Shanks-Booth, Director, Tompkins County Youth Services
 Members of Cornell's SASSY Student Group and the Tompkins County CSEC Critical Team conduct outreach visits to county lodging facilities.
As we embark on another new year, it is important to bring attention to an issue that affects vulnerable adults and youth in every community: human trafficking. Human trafficking is defined by the U.S. Government as: Sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age and/or the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the person of subjection to involuntary servitude, debt bondage, or slavery (National Institute of Justice).
The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a form of human trafficking and child sexual abuse and is a specific focus of the work of Tompkins County’s CSEC Critical Team. The Critical Team, led by Tompkins County Youth Services and the Advocacy Center, convenes local partners that work directly with youth that may be especially vulnerable to CSEC to increase community awareness of this issue and to implement appropriate response protocols to victims of CSEC and youth at high risk. The work of the Critical Team is funded through the Safe Harbour program of New York State’s Office of Children and Family Services.
In November 2021, the Tompkins County CSEC Critical Team partnered with the Cornell Student Group SASSY (Students Against the Sexual Solicitation of Youth) to visit over 20 hotels and motels in Tompkins County and share information on the red flags of CSEC, and local resources. Through this outreach effort, SASSY volunteers had an opportunity to bring attention to this issue, and invite partners in the lodging industry to receive further training on how to identify and respond to human trafficking. The Tompkins County CSEC Critical Team is grateful for the partnership with SASSY, and looks forward to building further connections with the lodging businesses in Tompkins County.
Read below for myths and facts related to trafficking and how you as a community member can help:
There are common myths and misconceptions regarding human trafficking that are important to dispel:
- Trafficking does not require that a victim be transported from one location to another, in fact a youth could be sex trafficked and not leave their home.
- Trafficking occurs in every community in the United States, it is not just an issue that affects foreign-born individuals who are brought to this country. Most victims of CSEC in our community are U.S. citizens.
- Victims of trafficking can come from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
Exploiters can be anyone including friends, family members, trusted adults, or someone who is claiming to have a romantic relationship with the youth. They target vulnerable youth, using psychological and physical manipulation.
Below are some signs that a young person might be a victim or at high risk of CSEC:
- Chronic runaway/homeless youth (nationally, 1 in 5 homeless youth report being a victim)
- Injuries/signs of physical abuse
- Presence of another person, often older, who seems controlling
- Not in control of their own money
- Having material possessions they normally wouldn’t (cash, expensive clothing, new cell phone)
If you suspect that a youth you have encountered is in an emergency situation, where the safety and welfare of the youth is in imminent jeopardy, contact 9-1-1 and report the situation.
For more information, or to seek assistance and support, please visit www.listenforthesigns.org or contact the Advocacy Center’s 24/7 confidential hotline at: (607) 277-5000.
"If you are passionate about supporting youth development and ensuring enrichment opportunities exist for kids in your community then you should consider joining a commission. Giving a couple hours of your time a month can go a long way in providing a solid foundation for the adults of our future.”
Those are the words of Lansing Youth Commission (LYC) Chairperson, Stacie Mastin. Born and raised on farmland in Seneca County, Stacie found her way to Ithaca and has remained in the area ever since. With over 25 years’ experience in the financial industry, she brings a wealth of knowledge to Tompkins Trust Company, an employee of 14 years.
Stacie is the proud mother of her son – he will be graduating from Lansing High School this year. Stacie has a personal connection to the Lansing Youth Commission, “My son was a regular participant in a variety of programs and I loved hearing his excitement for the things he was learning and seeing him grow in ways he didn’t realize he was. He formed friendships that added to his sense of community. He was exposed to opportunities that he would not have otherwise had (during) school work and being involved in sports. Seeing how this impacted my son motivated me to give back in any way that I could to make sure this program continued to be strong in our community.”
Stacie has proudly been with the Lansing Youth Commission for six years. She would like to see more publicity on how this program enriches her community. As she continues to chair the LYC, she welcomes new commission members to help continue to keep this program in the Lansing community.
Interested in joining Lansing Youth Commission? Questions about joining your local commission? Email Meghan Guerra Lyons: mlyons@tompkins-co.org
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 Free Virtual Symposium:
What To Do About Cyberbullying
Featuring Sameer Hinduja of the Cyberbullying Research Center
January 27, 2022 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. with special Youth Speak Out Event at 7:00 p.m.
Learn More and Register Here: https://bit.ly/3y2DjRu
Our Mission:
The Tompkins County Youth Services Department invests time, resources and funding in communities to enable all youth to thrive in school, work and life.
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