Manatee County Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Jan Schnering
Citizens Review Program Coordinator
(941) 741-4037

CITIZENS REVIEW VOLUNTEERS SWORN IN

November 2, 2006-The Honorable Paul E. Logan swore in the largest group of Citizens Review volunteers in the program's history on Thursday. Judge Logan impressed upon the volunteers the importance of the work that they will be doing and said he was delighted to have such a large number of community members dedicate their time to serving the children of Manatee County.

A total of twenty local residents successfully completed their mandatory training, which was coordinated and administered by Jan Schnering, the program coordinator. The volunteers may now serve as Citizens Review panel members. The swearing in ceremony took place in the original 1860 Courthouse located at the Manatee Village Historical Park.

These volunteers will serve as a voice for abused and neglected children in Manatee County. Manatee County is one of only two Florida counties to utilize Citizens Review panels. Citizens Review panels are authorized by Florida law to review the cases of abused, neglected or abandoned children placed in out-of-home care and make recommendations to the Court. Manatee County's Citizens Review Program is administered by the Clerk of the Circuit Court, R.B. "Chips" Shore who said, "This is a program of which I am very proud. There are so many children and families who benefit from the work of the panel and extra sets of eyes and ears the panel can lend these children and families in crisis. I applaud these wonderful volunteers."

The mission of Citizen Review panels is to ensure that the emotional, educational and physical needs of each child are being served by the system. These twenty volunteers completed 30 hours of training to become eligible to serve as Citizens Review panel members.

Volunteers are sworn in

Pictured left to right are:
Back Row: Debra Metcalf, Margaret Carlson, Janice Norrie, Sandy Anderson, Regina Ackerman, Carol La Bar
Third Row: Carol Shea, Sherry Pies, Marsha Hayne, Sonia Collins
Second Row:Delia Rios, Elissa Boleen, Jackie Jacoby, Reba Parrish Natica Tinkcom and
Juliet Painter; Citizens Review Specialist
Front Row: Patricia Watkins, Barbara Mathes, Virginia Sutton, Norma Marie Dunwoody, Helen Palange,
Judge Paul E. Logan, Jan Schnering;Citizens Review Program Coordinator.

If you are interested in becoming a Citizens Review volunteer, please e-mail or call her at 741-4037. You can also visit the Citizens Review web page.