Attached is a letter from Sheriff Leeper to Honorable Justin Taylor, Chairman and the Board of County Commission wishing to remove $2,500 from the Crime Prevention Trust Fund to donate to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Nassau County.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters is committed to bringing the power of mentoring to youth from traditionally underserved communities and their one-to-one youth mentoring has been shown to have a significant and positive impact on the lives of children.  Researchers found that after 18 months of spending time with their Big Brothers, the Little Brothers and Little Sisters were 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs and 27% less likely to begin using alcohol.  Research also shows that 70 percent of children of incarcerated parents will themselves at some point be incarcerated – unless they have positive adult intervention. That is why mentoring children of prisoners is a key component of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ goal to reach more kids, especially those who may face significant risk factors.

Pursuant to Florida State Statute, Section 775.083, the County in consultation with the Sheriff must expend monies from the Crime Prevention Fund for crime prevention programs in the County.  As such, I am requesting that the County approve the use of $2,500.00 for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Nassau County.