Troubled youths lend a hand

A woman down on her luck receives a little help from the kids at Florida Youth Academy - a 1984 Chevrolet Caprice Classic they fixed up.

LARGO - Making bad choices that hurt other people is what brought many of the kids to Florida Youth Academy juvenile justice facility.

But Thursday, the young residents had a chance to bring joy to a local crime victim who was down on her luck.

They presented Deborah Fee with an '84 Chevrolet Caprice Classic that they spent several weeks sprucing up.

"You don't know how much this means to me. Thank you so much. You did a lot," Fee told the nine or so boys who made the presentation as tears welled up in her eyes.

Fee needed the car after her abusive husband walked out the door, leaving her and her teenage daughter practically pennyless.

The power was shut off, the water was shut off, and she wasn't sure how she'd pay the rent on her three-bedroom house.

She managed to secure a job at a grocery store near her Indian Rocks Beach home, but her wages couldn't get her out of her jam.

"I can't afford to move. I can't afford to stay, and better paying jobs are far away," said Fee, 48.

Nainan Desai, CFO of the youth academy, said the refurbishing was one of several tasks that the youths do to help victims of crime and see them on a more personal level.

The girls are making posters for local nursing homes.

"They understand the harm and the despair they have caused to the victim. They understand and are somehow able to give back. They understand these are people, too, and it was inappropriate to broach their privacy," Desai said.

After Fee thanked them, a few of the boys fought back tears. Some of them shook her hand. Others hugged her. One boy with reddish hair handed her a tissue.

"I hope being here will help you to realize what you can do and how much what you do can make a difference," Fee said.

The St. Petersburg Times agreed not to speak with academy minors to maintain their anonymity.

The Florida Youth Academy, located at 12895 Seminole Blvd., is a residential facility that serves about 110 troubled kids from ages 11 to 18.

About 18 of the residents are boys, who are classified as low risk. The rest are girls, classified as moderate or high risk because of the seriousness of the crimes they've committed.

The youths spent several weeks fixing up the car, which was donated by Robert and Barbara Steward of Land O'Lakes.

They sanded it, primed it for a silver paint job, recarpeted its interior and replaced handles, bumper guards and wheel guards.

They learned how to service it, do oil changes and install batteries.

And Wednesday, they spiffed it up with a wash and wax job and festooned it with a giant cloth bow.

Sam Cerezo, plant operations manager, said many of the kids took the project seriously.

"I'm going to wax this like this is my own car," Cerezo said one of the boys told him.

Although the girls participated in the restoration of the car, they were not allowed to leave the facility to join in the presentation ceremony held in front of the center.

Tara Weschler, victim advocate from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, said the project was significant because it helps commemorate National Crime Victims' Rights Week.

Fee got the news about her new wheels about a month ago when another victim advocate gave her a call.

"We have a solution for you. Things are going to start working better for you," Fee said the advocate told her.

"I about dropped the phone," Fee said.

Her ordeal started about seven months ago, she said, when a father-daughter argument turned dangerous.

Fee's daughter wanted to talk to her stepfather.

He wanted to watch TV. Her daughter persisted.

The next thing Fee knew, her husband leaped from his lounge chair, choked her daughter and smashed her head through the wall.

"I had to pull him off of her. He was just choking her. When it's happening, it's almost like you're in a dream," she said.

Fee fled with her daughter, called her mother and then called the Sheriff's Office.

The doctors haven't tied specific medical problems directly to her daughter's trauma, but her daughter had a seizure about a month ago, Fee said.

Her husband was convicted of a felony.

He's on probation and has been ordered to take anger management classes, Fee said.

They divorced about a month ago.

Because the justice system is handling him, Fee said, she doesn't fear her husband's wrath.

But dealing with her daughter's emotional pain has been one of her toughest challenges, she said.

"We're trying to move on and put everything behind us," Fee said.

A little after noon Thursday, Fee was on her way.

She revved the engine and took off in her new Caprice.

- Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or at lorri@sptimes.com

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