Virgie Nelson retires from Sterling’s Youth Services program after 38 years with “hope for tomorrow” intact – Sterling Journal-Advocate

After 38 years of dealing with kids going through the criminal justice system, Virgie Nelson could be excused for becoming cynical about where society is headed.

Instead, the retiring Youth Services coordinator for the Sterling Police Department said she has hope.

Nelson’s last day with the SPD officially was Friday. Thursday, friends, family and colleagues gathered at the Overland Trail Museum’s High Plains Education Center to extend their congratulations and well-wishes to the passionate youth advocate embarks on a new phase in life.

Nelson’s Youth Services career began in 1984, when she was hired as a part-time counselor by Stan Gorman. That same year, the City of Sterling absorbed Youth Services and began funding its activities. It later became a division of the SPD, and in 1986 Nelson took over its operation.

Sterling Police Chief Tyson Kerr noted Thursday that Sterling is the only city in Colorado that operates and funds its own Youth Services program, which has been a point of pride over the decades.

Kerr explained the role of Youth Services, noting that it augments “law enforcement officers’ lecture release option” for minors contacted for petty crimes, suspicious activity or safety concerns. The division’s focus is on addressing delinquent behavior in its early stages to decrease overall crime in the community, through education of youth and families on personal and public safety matters. The division is also responsible for managing juvenile jail screening and supervision of youths charged with crimes. For Nelson, that included testifying in courts about a child’s criminal history, previous interventions and alternative sentencing options that might keep kids out of jail, as well as serving as the juvenile probation officer for Sterling Municipal Court.

Among the things Nelson is most proud of during her career is that the division was about to go beyond a single troubling incident to get more information about individual kids “so that the whole kid and the family could get services that they needed.”

Nelson’s impact spread far beyond the youths and their families with whom she worked directly. She worked with a number of partner organizations that also serve youth, in and out of the court system, and Kerr said her “experience, expertise and influence” were known across the state.

Kerr also noted that Nelson’s “leadership and guidance” were key to the development of many programs and services. Two that Nelson listed as among her greatest achievements were programming that deals with the dangers of the internet and “High on Life and Nothing Else,” a drug and alcohol awareness program.

In his presentation, Kerr thanked Nelson’s family – husband Gary and daughters Karley, Kendi and Corrie – for “sharing her with us and the sacrifices you all made along the way.”

Nelson and her guests also heard from some others about the impact she has had, including a pre-recorded video presentation by her daughter, Corrie, who was unable to attend the celebration. In it, Corrie thanked the SPD for “not firing my mom,” recalling some humorous incidents from Virgie’s career, as well as sincerely expressing gratitude for the department’s support for Virgie as a working mom.

Kerr then presented Nelson with a commemorative plaque thanking her for “years of service, dedication and loyalty, not just to the department, but to our entire community.”

Then the floor was Nelson’s. While she assured Kerr – and her guests – that she had pared down her speech, she shared thoughts and memories that ranged from a passionate appreciation of local law enforcement as the heroes the nation needs, to a somber remembrance of officers who’ve lost their lives during her tenure with the department to, of course, some moments that reflected her – as Kerr put it – “unique sense of humor.”

After the speeches, Nelson spoke briefly with the Journal-Advocate about her career and her plans for the future.

The advent of the “Digital Age,” and its impact on communication and teaching, has been the biggest change in the past 38 years, Nelson said.

“The behavior issues aren’t different. I’m frequently asked, are kids worse now than they were? No, no,” she said.

“I think it’s true down the line, nobody wants to be in trouble, nobody wants to be a criminal, nobody wants horrible stuff. They want their lives to work.”

That belief, Nelson said, is at the core of her job.

“You can be in this work if you believe that that can be learned. It can be learned; a successful life can be learned. Everybody has the potential, and deep in their heart everybody wants it,” she said. “Sounds quite lofty, doesn’t it – but it’s true though.”

While retiring from the SPD, Nelson is not completely leaving her line of work behind – she will continue to work for the Colorado Division of Youth Services on a 32-hour per month basis dealing with kids who are in jail. She also plans to do some traveling and spend time with her family and dog.

Kerr said the department will not be immediately filling Nelson’s position, but will take some time to figure out what the Youth Services program will look like going forward. In the meantime, he said, core functions such as the referrals to partner agency services will continue.

Nelson gave a lot of credit to those she’s worked with over the years, both law enforcement and other partners.

“It all requires a good bit of energy… It is so little about me and so much about the family of human service providers,” she said. “Together we are the strength and the hope for tomorrow. And I do have great hope for tomorrow. I’m frightened for today, but I have great hope for tomorrow, and belief in tomorrow.”