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DYS Team,

Be sure to check out all the latest inspiring events, stories, and videos about our agency highlighting Reentry Month, National Crime Victims' Rights Week, and more! And, do not miss out on a possible scholarship opportunity and getting your free copy of the newly published 2025 Ohio Travel Guide by scrolling to the bottom of the newsletter.

Thank you and enjoy!

At DYS, we understand that the journey of our youth does not end when they leave our facilities. In many ways, our work of habilitation to prepare youth for reentry begins when they enter DYS. We are committed right away to breaking down barriers and creating pathways for them to build productive, fulfilling lives. 

We appreciate all the work of our reentry, parole, and facility teams for all the efforts you put into planning programming, education, career opportunities, and more to better prepare youth for reintrgration into our communities upon release.

Here are some photos below from reentry events so far this month. This includes both the Ross County Tree Planting Event and the Career Workshop.

Part of reentry is having a connection to the community. It’s why 14 recently released youth took part in a tree planting event in Ross County.

The trees are a symbol of our youth giving back and sowing seeds of positivity for the future. Thanks to our partners at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ross County Juvenile Court for helping our youth experience such a fun and fulfilling day.

The career readiness workshop in Columbus also gave youth the opportunity to enhance their professional experiences and explore new areas of interest by participating in hands-on sessions.

The event sought to empower justice-involved and second-chance youth with tools, resources, and connections to help them prepare for and access meaningful employment opportunities.

Thank you to our reentry team who helped organized this valuable event.

Reentry Resources

Here are some additional reentry resources and our DYS events listed on the flyer below. If you have any interest in attending the remaining upcoming events, please contact Carmen.Dorman@dys.ohio.gov.

Resources:

• Council of State Governments - Advancing Safety and Second Chances (webinars available)
• Cleveland Reentry Month 2025
• The National Reentry Resource Center

The National Crime Victims Rights Week (NCVRW) gave us a chance to honor victims of crime, promote their rights, and recognize those who advocate on their behalf.

Across the state, staff and youth took part in a variety of ways, including:

• Speaking events with famed-humanitarian Alex Sheen of “Because I said I would.”
• Youth art projects dedicated to the ideals of stopping violence and acts of kindness.
• Staff messages and symbols promoting this year’s theme of “Kinship, Connecting, and Healing.” Some of these positive staff message cards will be continuing at Central Office for staff to pass along uplifting messages.

Thank you to our amazing Office of Victim Services team of Tiffani Sharp and Megan Rivers for coordinating all the events and activities to highlight the importance of this week. See photos below.

The Cuyahoga Hills staff recently held a Volunteer Appreciation Night event to show their deep appreciation of the efforts of our volunteers. The youth also delivered a powerful performance through our partnership with the Power of Harmony. We appreciate all our volunteers across the entire agency and our staff for working hand in hand with them to make a difference.

Occupational Therapy Month

Click image above to watch the video!

Occupational Therapy Month is also recognized in April where we highlight the critical work of our occupational therapists at DYS in their activity planning with the youth. Click above to see what some of our occupational therapists had to say about their efforts at our agency.

Click or tap the image above to watch the video!

After collecting more than 5,000 pairs of socks in our showdown with Hamilton County Juvenile Court, the only thing left to do was to drop them off. 

Community Engagement Liaison Carmen Dorman and Southern Region Parole Services Supervisor Victoria Doss recently transported all the socks to our community partners at Shoes 4 the Shoeless in Dayton. 

It's the second straight year we've donated more than 5,000 pairs of socks to benefit at-risk children in the greater Cincinnati and Dayton areas. Thank you, again, to everyone who contributed to such a meaningful cause. 

This past month, three employees recently retired from DYS. Bruce Sowards, Jeanne Swinehart-Alspach, and Anita Carr, thank you for your hard work and dedication. We could not have done so much at DYS without you, and we hope you have a fulfilling and joyful retirement!

April Preservice Graduation

Congratulations to our latest group of nearly 30 graduates who are now joining our facilities as a part of the DYS Team! The Training Academy team went above and beyond as always to equip new staff with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed. Thank you to all of our new staff for choosing DYS to transform and save lives. 

2025 OWSA John Dean Scholarship

Take the opportunity to nominate eligible students through the Ohio Warden and Superintendents Association 2025 John Deal Scholarship Application. The students must be nominated by an OWSA member. Click below for the eligibility requirements and to make your nomination.