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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, May 27, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Britt Festival Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 16, 2005 Fred Perloff works so many hours at Mediation Works that he�s considered �unpaid staff.� He got his start in mediation skills refereeing soccer matches. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Making a difference with mediation Hometown Hero By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune Conflicts and heated discussions are something most people avoid like the plague. Mediation Works volunteer Fred Perloff, however, dives in wholeheartedly. Nominated as this week’s Hometown Hero for his ability to ease even the nastiest of conflicts, Perloff devotes so many hours as one of Mediation Works’ head mediators that he’s listed as an unpaid staff member instead of a volunteer. A Yale graduate and former computer network consultant, 53-year-old Perloff is currently training and working as a private counselor. In his spare time, which sometimes amounts to dozens of hours per week, he finds himself at the center of intense disputes and high-profile cases using conflict resolution skills he developed on a soccer field. Advertisement "I was a soccer referee for 17 years, mostly with adolescents. Being a ref requires being in the midst of a lot of conflict and remaining relatively calm," he said. "It was a great place to use all the communication skills that a mediator needs. � And the thing about a game is it’s guaranteed that half the people are going to leave unhappy with the results, and some of them are going to think it had to do with the ref." Though the second-generation soccer player "hung up the cleats at 45," after acting as ref for a thousand games, he decided to continue using his conflict management skills by enrolling for Mediation Works 32-hour state-approved basic mediation training. "I just had this feeling that I could be a mediator so I said, next time you do a training, let me know," he said. "I really think I could be a good mediator." Some 10 years later, it seems his instincts were right on target. Perloff, who moved to the Rogue Valley in 1977 from suburban Philadelphia, now mediates in a number of programs, including peer-to-peer conflict resolution in area schools, community programs geared at resolving conflict between neighbors and in small claims court, where some 55 percent of cases were diverted from crowded courtrooms thanks to mediators like Perloff. "Just about every small-claims court claim goes to mediation before the judges will take it up to court," Perloff said. "What’s really great is those are people who figured they were going to get involved in a courtroom setting and have a judge decide their case, but they learned they could settle their disputes themselves." On his own, in October 2003, Perloff paid for travel and training as a facilitator for the Serious and Violent Crimes Dialogue program of Josephine County’s Dispute Resolution Center. Training involves a year of preparation in bringing together an adult offender and their victim — or victim’s family — for crimes of murder or manslaughter. At his own expense, Fred trained in victim-offender mediation for violent crimes with internationally-known David Doerfler of Austin, Texas. "It can be a really important piece, in terms of an offender taking responsibility and learning the consequences of what they have done," he said. Program and systems resource director Jennifer Henderson said Perloff was a valuable asset to the program. Of 92 volunteers, Perloff is among the longest tenured and most committed. "He just has a really nice way about him that make people want to talk to him," Henderson said. "He’s not threatening or judgmental and that’s really important." Mediation Works board member Anne Batzer said Perloff’s involvement since 1994 had been "deep, broad and consistent." Perloff views his work as his life’s passion, rather than simply giving a little of his time. "I think mediation is a wonderful way for people to learn how to deal with the conflict which is inherent in all of our lives," he said. "To be able to use mediation to transform relationships is incredible." Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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