Mentors wanted

Carbon County’s Veterans Treatment Court is showing great promise when it comes to helping veterans in trouble with the law due to addiction or other issues.

But an important factor to help make the program a success is veteran mentors.

The problem though, Richmond Parsons, chief adult probation officer, said, is there isn’t enough mentors to match with participants. There are currently 10 mentors and 12 participants in the program.

Veteran mentors are volunteers who are willing to serve as a sponsor, much like a sponsor does in Alcoholics Anonymous.

“Veteran mentors are such an integral part of what we do because we try to match up someone who has been in the military who shares that brotherhood,” Parsons said. “It’s amazing what some of the mentors are doing outside the courtroom. We need the interventions inside the courtroom, but we also need those interventions out in the field.”

Mentors must be either male or female veterans, preferably having served in combat but not required, who are willing to assist the person by appearing at court appearances with them, spending some time outside the courts and being available to talk or visit the veteran when needed.

A variety of veterans are needed for the mentor program because participants can range anywhere from someone who was deployed recently to someone who served in combat decades ago.

“We try to match up people with similar military backgrounds and service time, but right now it’s getting a little difficult,” Parsons said.

Anyone who would like to become a mentor will go through training prior to being paired with someone in the program.

For complete details on what the volunteer position entails, visit www.carboncounty.com/index.php/2-uncategorised/65-veterans-affairs and click on “Veterans Court Mentor Program,” or the Carbon County court website http://www.carboncourts.com/veteranscourt.html.

To apply to become a mentor, visit the aforementioned websites to print a copy of the application; call Henry Desrosiers, Carbon County Veterans Affairs director and veterans court mentor coordinator, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at 570-325-3986; or email henrydesrosiers@carboncounty.net.