Probation Officers Donate Books to Spring Valley Fourth Graders

Probation employees Tracy Willis, Chrystal Sweet and Linda Yoakum-Latimer with teacher Ana Diamond (third from left)

On Friday, three off-the-clock County Probation officers hauled a bunch of brand new books—and ice cream— into Ms. Diamond’s crowded fourth grade classroom at Loma Elementary School in Spring Valley.

The class’s 39 boys and girls each picked the book that looked most appealing. They’ll keep the books to enjoy over summer break and beyond.   

“They were very excited,” said Supervising Probation Officer Chrystal Sweet, who was joined by Probation colleagues Linda Yoakum-Latimer and Tracy Willis

“When they went up there, the boys were really cute to see; they were a little more indecisive than the girls.”   

Sweet and the other probation officers are part of the African American Probation Officers Association, which raised the funds to buy and donate the books. The group’s been dormant awhile, but it’s recently awakened and it’s gaining momentum planning activities that support education for low-income and minority kids, Sweet said. The association’s goals include raising enough funds to buy computers for teens heading to college.

The books the probation officers gave to the kids Friday are known among the under 12 set as “chapter books.”    

“’Chapter books—it sounds very grown up, they get excited for them,” Sweet said. The relatively long format will keep the kids busy this summer and give them a positive pastime, she added.

“A book is something you can take anywhere, and if they don’t have the best situations at home, a book is always a great escape.”

Ms. Diamond –Ana Diamond—is Officer Sweet’s fraternal twin sister, so the kids were intrigued and pressed the special visitor for the inside scoop on their teacher.

Sweet said her sister’s commitment to the school, which has some high class sizes and a majority of students who are economically disadvantaged, inspired her and her fellow officers do something for the students there too.   

And a professional association of probation officers naturally gravitates towards youth and educational causes, Sweet said. Truancy or lack of education is part of the story of many criminals and juvenile delinquents that the officers work with every day.

“We see that education is definitely the road or the gateway to staying out of trouble and being able to make positive lifestyle choices,” Sweet said.

During the classroom visit, Sweet and her colleagues told the kids about the importance of education and a making a positive contribution to their community. They also described what it’s like to be a probation officer. The association plans on doing more of these kinds of talks as they grow and get more active, Sweet said.

“We wanted to be a face for low income and minitority youth, to show them that people of color can work in law enforcement and do positive things in the community.”

 The African American Probation Officers Association is looking for new members and plans a membership drive in July. For more information, contact Chrystal Sweet at 619-252-8638.