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| | The End of an Era
In 1978, a young man accepted a job as the director of a brand new organization designed to keep Stillwater area youth out of the court system. He teamed with founder Dave Knefelkamp to build an organization that is now part of the fabric of the community.
The new organization located at the Croix Center on Myrtle Street held youth accountable, provided information needed to make better decisions, improved decision making skills and supported parents as they guided their child toward adulthood. With the hiring of a staff member, counseling services were added to help families deal with issues before more complex problems arose.It did not take long for youth and families from neighboring communities in St. Croix County to seek counseling, awareness classes and community work service supervision from the St. Croix Valley Youth Service Bureau. Fiscal support from United Way, local foundations and the county soon followed.
With the completion of the new county government service center in Oak Park Heights during 1985, YSB became one of the first tenants in the Historic Courthouse. The old sheriff quarters are now headquarters for a multi-faceted organization with service centers in Cottage Grove and Woodbury.
During the ensuing years, YSB entered into merger conversations with several of the other four bureau type programs serving Washington County. In 1996, the current YSB was formed through a merger with the programs serving South Washington County. Today the YSB also serves central and south Washington County plus Oakdale and Maplewood in Minnesota and both St. Croix and Pierce County in Wisconsin.
YSB leadership is committed to working with communities to support families and youth. In some cases this commitment leads to new YSB initiative such as the alternative to suspension program in Stillwater that effectively reduced school suspensions by 25% and violent behaviors by 50% or the Chemical Health Prevention Specialists who are providing district tailored prevention and early intervention services in five school districts.After thirty-two years, YSB is experiencing a changing of the guard. Thank you Paul Weiler for your unwavering commitment to our mission and your dedication to the well being of youth and families throughout our service area.
Join us in celebrating Paul’s contributions to the community with a thank you Open House at the Historic Courthouse on Wednesday, December 1 from 4 to 6 pm. Honorariums recognizing his many years of service can be directed to the YSB fund at the St. Croix Valley Foundation.
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