How does the Benchmark Program keep justice-involved youth away from violence and recidivism? By sticking with them, no matter what, every single day, for however long it takes, says Kevin McKeither.
“When hard times come, they know they can count on us,” he said. “… We’ll be there to help at any cost. Our doors are always open.”
McKeither is gun violence prevention program manager for Benchmark Inc. On Wednesday, he participated in a roundtable discussion on reducing gun violence and keeping Pennsylvania communities safe.
County Commissioner Alice Yoder, center left, stands in front of an American flag as she speaks during a roundtable discussion at Benchmark. (Photo by Tim Staaldreher)
It was led by Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who visited Benchmark to learn about Lancaster’s work to prevent gun violence and support victims, and to tout funding for community violence prevention programs and victim services in the recently passed 2024-25 state budget.
“We’ve made progress on the issue of gun violence,” he said, but “clearly there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Sheri Modene, Lancaster County Juvenile Probation Director, says young people pick up weapons because they’re scared — they’ve been victims of violence before or know a friend who’s been targeted. Benchmark’s long-term support allows them to build trust over time and develop the skills and relationships to make different choices.
Will Keefer
“They’ve really built a community here,” she said.
Benchmark was the recipient of two state Violence Intervention and Prevention Grants (VIP Grants) through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, chaired by Lt. Governor Davis.
The first grant received in 2021 will support Benchmark’s “Predisposition” program, which provides intensive guidance to young people who have been arrested and tried in connection with gun crimes.
The second grant received this year will fund a new mentoring program aimed at youth who are “proximal” to gun crime — young people who have never been arrested for a gun crime but who are in the same groups as those who have been arrested and who have been identified by school resource officers or other authorities as being at high risk.
The program only recently launched: Benchmark Executive Director Will Keefer said it accepted its first participants two weeks ago.
Ayanda McGill Kevin McKeither
Keefer did not participate in the roundtable discussion, instead asking McKeither, program director Ayanda McGill and Trevor Roche, a teenager who recently graduated from the program, to speak on behalf of the nonprofit.
Trevor Roche
“That was really helpful,” Roche said. “With the benchmarks, they knew I could be better, so I knew I could be better.”
Having a trusted adult around makes a big difference for young people, who appreciate it, Magill said: Benchmark’s mentors are from the neighborhoods themselves and can understand them and the issues they face.
“We genuinely care about these kids and we care about our community,” she said.
Provisions in the 2024-25 budget bill signed by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on July 11 include:
⦁ $45 million for violence reduction grants provided through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), including a 100% increase in funding for Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) grants from $5 million to $10 million.
$11.5 million for Building Opportunities Through Afterschool Time (BOOST), a new PCCD program to reduce community violence by increasing after-school learning opportunities.
⦁ Increase funding for PCCD nonprofit security grants to houses of worship, community centers and other organizations by $5 million.
⦁ Increase funding for domestic violence services through the Department of Human Services (DHS) by $2.5 million
Davis repeatedly asked roundtable participants how the state can help, and participants said more resources are always needed.
Deanna Weaver, director of Lancaster County’s Victim and Witness Services, said the county needs comprehensive rehabilitation services for crime victims. “Victims have a wide range of needs — physical, financial and emotional — and the county doesn’t always have enough to provide them,” she said.
From left: Lancaster Police Sergeant Todd Greger, Lancaster County Juvenile Probation Director Sheri Modene, and Lancaster County Victim and Witness Services Director Deanna Weaver. (Photo by Tim Staaldreher)
She also said she would like to see an end to victim blaming. All victims deserve sympathy and support, and shouldn’t be stigmatized by others deciding what they should or shouldn’t do, she said.
Sergeant Todd Greiger, the police department’s community engagement officer, cited one very specific need: gun locks. The department once stocked and distributed donated gun locks to help gun owners prevent misuse or unauthorized use by children or others, but that supply has dried up and Greiger said he has been unable to find new locks.
County Commissioner Alice Yoder said the state could help communities get more access to real-time, detailed data sooner. Lancaster County is the largest county in Pennsylvania without a health department, limiting access to data and complicating the pandemic response. Violence also correlates with public health data, so improving the latter could help communities make appropriate interventions.
Taking action early will save money in the long run, she said: “Incarceration is much more costly than early intervention that makes incarceration unnecessary.”
Left: Benchmark’s Director of Advancement Whit Welch (right) gives Lt. Governor Austin Davis a tour of the facility. Right: Welch helps Davis put on a pair of boxing gloves. (Photo by Tim Staaldreher)
In Lancaster, the city is identifying potential trouble spots in the community through its Block Strength Indicator dashboard, Mayor Dannen Solais said, while school resource officers and the community at large are working to identify troubled youth who need extra support and guidance.
“We know each other, and that’s really important,” she said.
Soreis said people need to be held accountable, but they should also be given second chances and not be forever defined by their worst choices. State Assemblyman Ismail Smith-Wade-El agreed, using himself as an example: Smith-Wade-El had his first brush with the law when he was 11, and his life may have been derailed if his community hadn’t abandoned him then.
He praised Benchmark for the “fantastic job” it does keeping Lancaster’s young people out of trouble and said the company and similar organisations deserve continued support.
“Our young people deserve to grow older, no matter where they are in the commonwealth,” he said.
Lt. Governor Austin Davis, third from left, shows off his Benchmark Program T-shirt. From left: Mayor Daneen Solais, Benchmark Program Advancement Director Whit Welch, Lt. Governor Davis, State Assemblyman Ismail Smith Wade El, Benchmark Program Director Ayanda McGill, Benchmark Gun Violence Prevention Program Manager Kevin McKasar, and Benchmark alumnus Trevor Roche. (Source: Pa.gov)
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