By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp. — For seven years, Ragen Rockwell has been the part-time Brandon Groveland Youth Assistance caseworker in Brandon Schools. Her last day is Aug. 30, and then she will be transferring full-time to Waterford.
“I cannot think of a single thing that I will not miss about the Brandon-Ortonville Community,” said Rockwell.
In addition to being part-time with BGYA, she was also part-time with Holly Area Youth Assistance. As a caseworker, Rockwell works with students who are referred by the school, law enforcement, parents or the Oakland County Court to help them stay out of the court system through behavior prevention and other intervention programs.
“The most difficult part of this job is closing a case for a family that either verbally turned down BGYA services or just never responded to services. It’s difficult because the youth may become a statistic and there’s just no way for the Caseworker to help if a family won’t accept it. Ninety-two percent of the youth who receive Youth Assistance services successfully stay out of the juvenile justice system,” she said.
“But the best part is seeing people grow regardless of whether they are a client, board member, or a volunteer because we grow when we work together. And when we grow as individuals within a community we grow the entire community.”
Ragen works with the BGYA to provide prevention programs to help combat destructive behaviors such as substance abuse, truancy, neglect, and behavioral issues.
“I am going to miss BGYA as an agency that follows it’s mission (in the truest sense) of reducing delinquency, abuse, and neglect through community involvement while putting kids first. I will miss the kind heartedness that is exemplified by so many here. I will Brandon School District staff and all of the tremendous work that the community agencies and businesses do together,” she said. “I will be forever grateful for the partnerships and sponsorship of the Brandon School District, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Brandon Township Parks and Recreation, the local municipalities (Brandon Township, Village of Ortonville, and Groveland Township), community agencies/organizations, and businesses of the Brandon-Ortonville Community. This community does an amazing job of working together to provide services within the community while not duplicating them. This shows tremendous respect for the invaluable work that each agency, organization, and business does and it shows that we achieve more when we work together.”
Rockwell also said she would miss the community because she sees so many organizations in the community that want to help and support each other.
“I will miss the Brandon Community immensely as I see a community that takes care of each other; a community that is kind to each other; and community that respects each other. I’ll miss the Brandon Substation of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and the first-class law enforcement, support, and prevention that is provided to the community,” she said. “I’ll miss Brandon Schools for the tremendous educational and extra-curricular opportunities they provide for Brandon students. I’ll miss Brandon Townships Parks and Recreation for the quality and diversity of their programming as we know that youth who participate in structured activities go on to lead more successful lives. I will miss OCEF for their food pantry, clothing closet, and holiday distribution.”
A different caseworker will be starting soon with the new school year starting.
“Continue to invest in our future by putting kids first and continue to invest in each other, especially in the area prevention, and you’ll continue to be the excellent community that you while becoming even greater,” she said.
Anyone who may be in need of assistance can reach out to the BGYA office at 248-627-1800 ext. 1717.