Teen Court of Sarasota Receives a $25,000 Grant From the Community Foundation of Sarasota County

Teen Court of Sarasota has announced the Community Foundation of
Sarasota County will continue to support services for our young people at our local schools for a third year in a row. With this collaboration and through the Dallas and Elizabeth Dort Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Teen Court of Sarasota received a $25,000 match to provide programs and services to youth in our local school system.

Teen Court of Sarasota will continue to provide a Case Manager at each local high school one day per week to support staff with students that show red flags of making poor choices and are getting off track. Those high schools served include, Booker High School, Venice High School, Riverview High School, North Port High School, Sarasota High School and Triad.

“We are truly grateful for the investment the Sarasota County Public Schools and the Community Foundation has in our programs,” said Heather Todd, Executive Director.

Our presence in the schools provides teachers, administrators and facility with immediate access to Teen Court services in order to address the needs of the youth. Todd adds “The young people we serve are worthy of a second chance to learn and grow from their mistake with positive redirection.”

We are in an unprecedented time and with the increased complexity of issues teens are experiencing it is vital now more than ever to address their concerns in a preventive nature. We appreciate the Community Foundation’s continued investment in our organization. With their generosity we can offer our teens and families the comfort of a second chance as we have for over 30 years in Sarasota County.

The organization’s programs address the whole family and include mental health counseling referrals, Emotion Regulation classes, justice for youth by youth courtroom setting and substance abuse education.

Teen Court of Sarasota, Inc. is an alternative to Juvenile Court, allowing a young person a second chance of having a bright future. Youth who come through Teen Court participate in a court program run by their peers, under the supervision of a volunteer adult judge. Student volunteers who participate in our Teen Court program receive a law-related education along with community service hours for their time. In complement to the Teen Court program, the organization also offers counseling services, drug prevention, anti-bullying, and anger management classes to those youth
who demonstrate extra need.