Lifestyle
DRC-MC Awards Scholarships in Honor of Local Mediators
CONROE, TX – For the past four years, the Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County, Inc. (DRC-MC) has sponsored two scholarships in recognition of two dedicated, local volunteer mediators, Charlsie Moore and Ben DeVries.
The 2019 Charlsie Moore ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Scholarship was awarded to Jodee Rankin and John Casper who received the highest grades in their Advanced Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic at Texas Tech University. The Ben DeVries Achievement in ADR Scholarship was awarded to Samin Agha, who was a member of the winning team at the 2018 Tom Newhouse Mediation Competition. The students use the scholarship funds to alleviate educational expenses and often to prepare for the bar exam.
“We are pleased to sponsor the Ben DeVries and Charlsie Moore Scholarships because this allows us to support and assist students who are very involved in conflict resolution training programs and also honor Charlsie Moore and Ben DeVries who have contributed so much time and talent at the DRC-MC,” stated Elaine Roberts, DRC-MC Executive Director.
Lois Voth, Chair of the DRC-MC Board, noted that “Charlsie Moore and Ben DeVries have a combined total of over 40 years of volunteer service to the DRC-MC and have each conducted well over 1600 mediations. They have also assisted with more than 20 General and Family Mediation training sessions and 3 Child Protective Service Mediation training sessions. In addition, they have mentored scores of new volunteer mediators at the DRC-MC. They have also positively affected the lives of thousands of people during their volunteer career, including this year’s scholarship winners. We are lucky to have them as volunteer mediators in Montgomery County.”
Ben DeVries explained why he has been such an active volunteer mediator at the DRC-MC over the years. He said, “Over the past 22 years each time I have mediated I looked at it as both a challenge and an adventure. The adventure is using your training and varied experiences to sort through the facts and positions of the parties to assist in reaching a resolution that is acceptable to them. Mediate and wake up to a new daily challenge.”
LeeAnne Hill, who has been lucky enough to have Charlsie Moore as a mediator on multiple Child Protective Services (CPS) cases noted: “Charlsie takes the time to understand our individual cases. She also encourages us to work outside the box to settle our cases amicably. CPS cases are difficult, emotionally draining and time-consuming. Charlsie bears with us and never gives up her hope that we can settle and prevent damaging relationships in a trial. She really does amazing work on our CPS cases.”
The mission of the DRC-MC is to provide and promote affordable, high-quality conflict resolution services and training to prevent disputes from escalating into serious civil or criminal matters. Disputes are handled Monday through Friday at the DRC-MC in Downtown Conroe on Thompson Street across the street from the Courthouse. The non-profit organization was established by the Montgomery County Commissioners Court and the Montgomery County Bar Association and has been helping people with difficult conversations since 1988. In 2018, the DRC-MC received a Great Non-Profit designation from GreatNonprofits.org.
The DRC-MC will be providing General Mediation Training in a 40-hour workshop July 10-12 and 18-19 at The Strong Firm Mediation, Arbitration & Collaboration Center, 1790 Hughes Landing Blvd. The training enhances communication for all industries and especially for individuals in the field of government, law enforcement, human resources, and social services. For more information, visit www.resolution-center.org/mediation-training.
Find out more about the Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County, Inc. by visiting www.resolution-center.org or call (936) 760-6914, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday.
0 comments