Southwest Georgia Humanitarian Rural Outreach Project

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

The Clarence & Maxine Owens Foundation will implement the Southwest Georgia Humanitarian Rural Outreach Project for the Adjudicated, Rural, Migrant, Seasonal (ARMS) population. The project will provide preventive and primary health care, academic enrichment, and wellness and nutrition services to children of migrant and seasonal farm workers, in addition to rural area at risk children and families on a year round basis. Rural outreach services and activities will include community based services at various sites throughout Decatur County. Students, families and communities will garner support from activities which will provide cultural enrichment, experiencing and performing the arts, service learning, career preparation, academic support/enrichment, health care/screenings, wellness/nutrition counseling, and digital empowerment. Adjudicated youth and families will receive additional support and services in the area of mental health counseling, and social responsibility activities. Project sites will provide extended day and extended year educational and human services to rural area residents.

Objectives for this project include the following: (1) Provide unlimited access to preventive and primary health care to families and children in rural areas of the county; (2) Increase the number of adjudicated, rural, migrant and seasonal students (ARMS) receiving high school diplomas; (3) Increase the number of ARMS meeting performance measures on standardized tests; (4) Provide community based mental health services for ARMS children and families, and at-risk students; (5) Increase the number of ARMS parents participating in parent involvement activities; (6) Provide access to technology at rural community based sites; and (7) Provide cultural enriching activities at rural community based sites.

NCA/NCF