 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICE
This position is supervised by a life-long Kingman County resident and long-time County Employee Steve Ramsey, Community
Service activities are a 24-hours-a-day, 364-days per year operation. Steve's responsibility is to oversee the placement
of and work performed by individuals who are assigned "Community Service" hours by such entities as Community Corrections,
the County Attorney, Court Services, and the District Court. The philosophy of the program is to make offenders accountable
and, hopefully, encourage them to become responsible citizens by working for governmental or non-profit organizations in the
community. Some 49 non-for-profit and government organizations took advantage of labor from this program during the
past year. Community Service workers, ranging in age from 12 to 60 years, provide free of charge "volunteer"
work and have done activities such as cooking, cleaning, washing, painting, sweeping, building, spraying, typing and filing,
and even reading to the elderly!
During the Christmas season, Community Service workers served as bell-ringers
for the Salvation Army. The Kingman County Fair also used this free labor to prepare food for fair-goers. For
a Family Mentoring activity, community Service labor helped set up a swing set and assisted in a substantial way on work done
on the Saddle and Roper's building. That project was a significant undertaking; workers sealed, painted, sheet rocked
walls, built a closet and installed doors.
Many Community Service individuals gain experience with other workers
and work-sites that make possible new, positive work experiences. That experience provides an opportunity to learn new
job skills. A few individuals even gain future paid-job contacts. Many of these offenders discover that their
work is truly appreciated at their assigned work sites.
The Community may have the misconception that "community
service" is little more than having criminals picking up trash from a littered street. But as you can see - it
goes far beyond that limited scope. Community Service programs can genuinely be a "win-win" for all involved.
It is, literally, an opportunity for something positive to happen after a negative event. As with all things in life,
the individual must only have the desire to take advantage of the opportunity - and Community Service provides that chance!
Proudly Serving you the Public!
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