In April 2004, the First Tennessee Human Resource Agency (FTHRA) gave a $10,000 grant so ten Greene County School System employees could attend a CDS in Downer’s Grove, Illinois.

The grant aimed to cut delinquency. “The first year that CHARACTER COUNTS! was implemented in [nearby] Sullivan County, they reported a 25 percent reduction in juvenile crime,” said Carrie Marchant, FTHRA’s regional youth services director. “We’re hoping the same thing will happen here.”

Fittingly, the money came from the county’s misdemeanor probation program. FTHRA runs it and used funds from lawbreakers on probation for the bequest. “As a result of fees collected that exceeded their expenses, they were able to make grants to the county,” Juvenile Judge Tom Wright said.

Greene County Mayor Roger Jones said, “It’s a great way to lessen the need for future use of probation services in Greene County. Maybe this will help keep young people out of Judge Wright’s court.”

Accepting the grant were Milton Parham, the county school system’s family literacy coordinator who leads the system’s character-education efforts, and Mayor Jones.