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Teens lobby for youth program Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Students from Lithia Springs youth shelter are going to Salem today to lobby the Legislature against cutting funding to programs for at-risk kids. Clockwise, from bottom, are Kim Kelly, Kristen Ayala, Amber Humphrey and Erin Nelson. By Jonel Aleccia It�s safe to say the workings of the Oregon Legislature have never loomed large in Kristen Ayala�s life. As a 16-year-old resident of the Lithia Springs youth shelter in Ashland, Ayala has had other issues to worry about: charges for theft, forgery, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. But today, Ayala�s world will intersect with the world of state government as she and three fellow students travel to Salem, where they�ll lobby lawmakers to preserve funding for the program they say changed their lives. "I�m kind of like an outspoken person," said Ayala. "I would like the higher people to know what we�re going through." At issue are cuts proposed in Gov. John Kitzhaber�s 2001 biennial budget that would trim some $70,000 from the Lithia Springs program for at-risk youth. They�re part of larger cuts that could slice perhaps $1 million in local funds for older kids as part of an effort to redirect spending toward Oregon�s youngest children. Kitzhaber�s budget includes $66 million for the Oregon Children�s Plan, a proposed program that would provide screening and services to all first-born babies in Oregon. Backers contend that early intervention is key to avoiding more costly services later. But Arnie Green, executive director of Community Works, the Medford agency that runs the youth shelter, has been critical of the plan, which he says abandons adolescents in favor of babies. To bolster his argument, Green invited Ayala and three other teens � Amber Humphrey, Kim Kelly and Erin Nelson � to describe their experiences for legislators. "This gives the legislators a chance to see that there are real kids behind the blabbing," Green said. To the teens, the governor�s plan makes little practical sense. "If they take us out of these programs, we�re just going to end up as teen mothers in the other program," said Humphrey, 15. "If they take the money away from this, they�ll just spend more money on us somewhere else," added Nelson. Services offered by Lithia Springs � drug and alcohol counseling, vocational programs, a safe, supervised environment � have changed their lives, the teens said. "Without this, I�d probably be at home getting into fights," said Nelson, 16. "Without this, I�d probably be in lock-down," said Ayala. Meeting with lawmakers will be nerve-wracking, the girls agreed, But the chance to have their voices heard will be worth it. "It makes me feel awesome," Humphrey said. "If they do (restore the funding), I will have been a part of it." Even if the proposed cuts go through, the girls said the Salem experience will be valuable. "We�ll know we did the best we could," Nelson said. "We tried. That�s something." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.