Youth Services System celebrates 50th anniversary

Ron Klug and Sue Abraham cut the ribbon at Tuesday’s ceremony to commemorate the 50-year milestone, as they are founding community members who signed the agency’s incorporation papers.

At the ceremony, Klug and Abraham recalled their initial meetings to create the agency at the former Clay School in Wheeling.

Abraham credited Klug, who worked at the Department of Human Services in the Youth Services Unit at the time, for being the “spark plug” for the organization. She explained that Klug was the one who arranged their first meeting.

Klug admitted he was “the seed” for YSS, but founder Ron Mulholland was the one who “made it grow.”

“We were all involved in charity work in the area,” said Klug on the first gathering of the group. “My role was explaining to the state office what we were trying to do and get the grant money for that.”

The other community members integral to creating the YSS of today include founder Ron Mulholland, former House of the Carpenter Executive Director Rev. Gary Beale, retired Wheeling Park High School mathematics teacher Charles Gordon, former YSS Board Member Donald Carney and retired Department of Human Services Child Protective Services Unit employee Bruce Patalano.

Klug described the journey of growing YSS into the organization that has now provided services to over 11,000 youths and adults in the area as “rough.”

He explained that when the agency was founded, many community members advocated for children with behavioral problems to be sent to an industrial school rather than have services provided to them.

“We had a lot of criticism from the community because many people still felt that if children did something wrong like truancy, runaway or theft, that children should be sent to an industrial school,” said Klug. “We felt the kids needed that chance to show we had other alternatives available to them and many, many of the children did take advantage of that.”

Abraham, who served as the secretary for the organization at its founding, explained that often people do not realize that there is a need in an area for services because “they don’t see it all the time.”

“That need is there,” emphasized Abraham. “It’s amazing how this organization has expanded from nothing to now having 200 employees.”

YSS now operates two Emergency Youth Shelters, two Transitional Living Programs, the Ronald C. Mulholland Juvenile Center, three recovery homes and over 25 programs in their central office building on 15th Street.

YSS CEO Jill Eddy strives to continue the founders’ work in “deinstitutionalizing” care for troubled youths. She explained the YSS achieves this by focusing on providing intensive treatment and support for children.

“We support these children in the hopes that one day they’re going to be successful,” noted Eddy. “If you can teach skills and impact their environment, that success is possible. That’s why our transitional living and employment programs are so important.”

Eddy added that many children they serve view the YSS as their family. The organization now employs “many young people” who once received assistance from the YSS.

Apart from youth returning to the YSS as employees, Eddy noted that past board members like Klug, now an emeritus board member, continue to stay involved in the organization.

“I think when you have people that have served on the board come back for years after, I think that shows they believe in the agency’s mission,” noted Eddy. “They’re committed to the success of YSS and want to see us here for the next 50 years.”

YSS Director of Development Tammy Cruz noted that Klug and Abraham “have not stopped” their work with YSS since signing the articles of incorporation 50 years ago. For Cruz, Abraham and Klug “live the mission” of YSS, crediting them for “creating the culture” of the organization that persists today.

“As we continue to grow, we have a lot of new staff, and as we expand new staff need to understand our culture,” said Cruz. “They must understand that we don’t get into this work looking to make much money. We do this work because we’re driven to do so.”

To continue the work of Abraham, Klug and the other community members who invested in YSS is what motivates Cruz to come to work every morning.

She explained that impacting and serving youth in the area is not a job to her or any YSS employee but instead “a mission.”

“I come to make a difference,” said Cruz. “I come to be the conduit between our youth, people in recovery and our community.”

Klug and Abraham both want to keep returning to the agency for years to come.

“I planted the seed, and I love to come back and see how it’s grown,” said Klug. “I want to keep coming back and see what’s happened as much as possible.”