Youth facility responds to call for sandbag help

PALMER — Mike Warzewick wears a couple of hats.

His full-time job is as a Juvenile Justice Officer at the Mat-Su Youth Facility. But his other role is as a Captain with the Central Mat-Su Fire Department.

Warzewick was working a shift at the fire station when he heard a call go out for help filling sand bags Sept. 21.

That’s when he quickly switched hats and contacted management at the Mat-Su Youth Facility who approved residents to help in any way possible.

Understanding the need for the sand bags was real world, Mat-Su Youth Facility residents embraced the project and pitched in to fill and stack more than 500 sand bags last weekend for use in flooded areas around the Mat-Su Valley, said Superintendent Bruce Collins.

“All of the residents and many of the staff pitched in to fill over this past weekend,” Collins said. “The first 250 were filled, picked up and used within 12 hours. The second load of sandbags was filled and then shrink-wrapped for use at a later time.”

Collins said emergency crews praised the rapid response from Warzewick and the residents of Mat-Su Youth Facility.

State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Juvenile Justice opened the 15-bed coed Mat-Su Youth Facility in Palmer in 2000 to serve youths age 12 to 19 from Mat-Su Borough, Glennallen, Valdez, Cordova, Kodiak and the Aleutian Chain.

“This was a perfect Community Work Service project for our kids and MSYF wishes to express its appreciation to the borough for the task,” Collins said. “We are proud to have contributed to these critical flood efforts.”

For more information, visit hss.state.ak.us/djj/facilities/matsuyf/default.htm.