Nearly 125 volunteers who assist Fourth Judicial District Attorney Dan May’s staff will be honored Thursday at a luncheon, including three north Colorado Springs residents who give their experience and energy to help young people and reduce workloads in an overburdened court system.

Kelcie Thacker, a UCCS student who lives on North Academy; Ann Hall, who lives near Peregrine; and Floyd Buhler, of Thunderbird Estates, will be honored.

FLOYD BUHLERBuhler coordinates the Kids Against Crime program for fifth-graders and has been volunteering for the DA’s office since 2001. During the last six years, the Kids Against Crime presenters have taken their message to more than 500 classrooms and more than 5,500 students. By the end of this school year, Buhler estimates another 1,100 students will have heard the two-hour presentation. Buhler coordinates 14-16 volunteers to visit classrooms after they have been invited by teachers or principals.

“Bullying. That’s the issue facing so many children,” Buhler said. “And using their cell phones safely.”

Buhler, 80, began volunteering with the DA’s office when the program for young children was very different. Adults would take students who had gotten into trouble to a correctional facility in Cañon City, and students would meet with inmates in a “scared straight” situation.

“A friend of mine from church got me involved,” Buhler said. “It was called the ‘Shape Up’ program. But what was really needed was a program to reach kids before they got in trouble, and that’s when the Kids Against Crime program began.”

The messages are about prevention and consequences. Buhler said he knows it’s difficult for teachers to give up two hours of classroom time, and the Kids Against Crime volunteers do almost no presentations in April when schools are involved in testing.

“We have schools all over the community that invite us back each year,” Buhler said. “The kids do pay close attention. We also teach them about the Safe2Tell program. Our presenters say they have had really good experiences and find this is meaningful work.”

Each child receives a Kids Against Crime workbook that helps them understand the consequences of the choices they make. The back of the booklet is a certificate that the students can sign to pledge they are a Kid Against Crime.

KELCIE THACKERThacker, 24, is a criminal justice student at UCCS and will graduate in May. One of the requirements for her degree program is to volunteer. For several months, she has been calling on behalf of the Neighborhood Justice Center to ask if those involved in criminal cases would be willing to choose mediation.“Dangerous dogs seem to be part of many cases,” Thacker said. “And third-degree assault cases.”

Thacker said she sometimes makes 20 calls a day to try and open cases for mediation instead of having them proceed to court. She said for those willing to agree to mediation, the cases can often be resolved a lot quicker.

“You never know. Sometimes people are nice and are willing and want to learn more about the process. Sometimes they curse and they’re going to court no matter what,” she said.

Thacker said her volunteer time at the DA’s office has helped her gain more knowledge about all facets of the criminal justice system.

“It has reinforced my career choice,” she said. “I want to be an investigator. But through this experience I’ve seen so many people in different aspects of the criminal justice field. It’s been really cool.”

ANN HALLHall has volunteered at the DA’s office since 2012, and part of her duties include keeping track of the time the other volunteers contribute. She assists Director of Volunteer Services Gwen Scoppettuolo-Stein with everything from data entry to selecting centerpieces for the volunteer luncheon.

Hall’s forte, however, is conducting mock interviews for the Juvenile Diversion/Job Readiness Program.

“They go through the classes in the program and they’re going to have to get a job. Sometimes they’re going to have to pay restitution. They need interviewing skills,” Hall said.

Those involved in the program receive some tips on how to present themselves, how to dress and how to approach an interview. Then Hall pretends to be a prospective employer and helps them practice what they’ve learned.

“And you know what? Ninety-six percent of them do very good,” Hall said. “They have to know these skills and they believe in what they’ve learned.”

Hall spent her career as an educator. She said some weeks she volunteers at the DA’s office for 20 hours and sometimes it’s four hours. She squeezes in a couple of other jobs, loves gardening and helping her neighbors with interior decorating projects.

“I absolutely love everything I do here,” Hall said of the DA’s office.

There are 19 areas for volunteers to choose from including prevention, restoration, prosecution and justice. District Attorney May estimated the volunteers save the DA’s office about $500,000 annually. From March 2015 to March 2016, volunteers contributed 19,000 hours.

“Our volunteers do a lot of the work that doesn’t make the headlines,” Scoppettuolo-Stein said. “We offer training for our volunteers, and they shadow a supervisor until they feel like they’ve got it. There is a volunteer handbook that one of our volunteers made. Our volunteers are supported by the leadership and know they are appreciated.”

Scoppettuolo-Stein said she receives many of her volunteer applicants through referrals from area colleges and universities, from volunteermatch.org, and through the DA’s office website. Volunteers must pass a background check and there is an interview.

At Thursday’s luncheon, a volunteer of the year and young adult volunteer of the year will be recognized. Many of the volunteers also receive a Presidential Volunteer Service Award for the many hours they contribute to the agency.

“I’m most proud of hearing our volunteers report they feel like they are making a difference and are part of solutions.” Scoppettuolo-Stein said.