LAKEPORT— This year’s Civil Grand Jury Report included a new section entitled “accolades” in which the organization recognized and highlighted a number of local efforts including the annual shop with a cop event in Clearlake and resident Davey Ables, a member of the Behavioral Health Services community.
“Throughout the year, via interviews, direct observations, and kindness shown to us, the Grand Jury encounters people all around the County whom we feel deserve special recognition for their accomplishments and/or selfless and exemplary contributions to the greater good,” the organization noted in their 300+ page report for 2022-23.
‘Shop With A Cop’
“Not only does this program demonstrate a valuable law enforcement-community collaboration, but it also helps vulnerable youths establish a more positive relationship with police officers,” they noted, explaining that the program began decades ago when police officers pooled their own money together in other locals in order to provide disadvantaged children with presents for Christmas.
The children are taken shopping, one at a time, at Wal-Mart for 45 minutes by their “own” uniformed officer. They are required to select a pair of shoes, pants, and a warm jacket, but otherwise can pick out whatever they want. Not uncommonly, the officers may spend their own money to be certain that the children buy what they need. The school districts not only help identify the neediest children, they may also provide transportation during the annual event. Wal-mart, in turn, supplies a 10 percent discount to cover taxes and also extra staff to assist the student-officer pairs.
Education
The Grand Jury also had accolades for Dr. Giovanni Annous. He has been Superintendent of the Upper Lake Unified School District for six years. The Grand Jury wrote that they were impressed by his perceptivity, candor, keen intuition, and visionary leadership.
Among Annous’ accomplishments lauded by the organization were his efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep the District’s schools open to in-person instruction utilizing a hybrid of in-person and distance learning. He opened a Health and Fitness Wellness Center for the students and families to provide food, clothes, showers, laundry and health checks. Among his many other achievements are his founding of the non-profit Northshore Youth Club, which provides after-school academic, artistic and athletic programs, which has grown to 725 participants.
Community organization
The organization also recognized the efforts of several individuals responsible for implementing the Every 15 minutes (EFM) presentation at Upper Lake High School on March 29 and 30, 2023. The name “Every Fifteen Minutes” is derived from the fact that in the 1990s, a U.S. resident died every 15 minutes in a collision caused by an alcoholic-impaired driver.
The goal of EFM is to reduce the number of teens involved in traffic-related collisions by dramatically personalizing the emotional trauma caused families, friends, and communities by drunk or distracted driving.
Helping the homeless
The Grand Jury also had an accolade for Davey Ables, whose reliable weekly outreached to the unhoused they called “notable.” As noted by the organization, through the Big Oak Peer Support Center in Clearlake Oaks, he travels twice a week to Northshore and south shore parks in a van containing food, water, Narcan, mosquito bracelets, personal hygiene items, and other items for distribution to the more than 100 people awaiting his arrival. “Once homeless himself, Davey is compassionate and self-effacing and works behind the scenes, with the full support of his supervisor, Carrie Manning, Mental Health Services Act team leader.
The Grand Jury also noted that Behavioral health operates five peer support centers in Lake County, each serving a specific population:
Big Oak Peer Support Cener, Clearlake Oaks (homeless), La Voz de la Esperanza, Latino Wellness Center, Clearlake (Latinos), The Circle of Native Minds, Lakeport (Natives), The Harbor on Main, Youth Resource Cener in Lakeport (teens), and Family Support Center in Clearlake.
