WILMINGTON, Del., Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn and the Criminal Justice Council will announce this year’s recipients of the Byrne Grants awards. He will be joined by Acting Director of the CJC, Chris Kervick.

All 2014 Byrne Grant recipients:
Boys & Girls Clubs at Oak Orchard/Riverdale
Courageous Hearts Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning Center
Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing, Inc.
The Hospitality School, Inc.
Rick VanStory Resource Centers
Victims’ Voices Heard
The Way Home, Inc.

This year’s Byrne Grants were awarded to 7 non-profits, representing all 3 counties, that specialized in the CJC’s priority areas of Re-entry and Recidivism Reduction for Adults and Juveniles, Juvenile Prevention and Intervention, and Reducing Homicide and Violent Crime, with approximately 80% of the funding being directed to re-entry programs.

Background: The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program (42 U.S.C. 3751(a)) is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system from multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces to crime prevention and domestic violence programs, courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives. JAG funded projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.

Announcement of the 2014 Byrne Grant recipients
Tour of the Rick VanStory Resource Center

Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 11:00 a.m.

Rick VanStory Resource Centers
500 W. 2nd Street
Wilmington, DE 19801

Dover – Governor Markell laid out his priorities for 2014 while delivering his annual State of the State address in the House Chamber of Legislative Hall yesterday.

“We must commit to unleashing the potential of every Delawarean by ensuring equal opportunities to acquire good education and training, find good jobs, and live in safe and vibrant communities,” said Governor Markell. “Every Delawarean has something to contribute if given the chance. By creating the opportunities to give them that chance, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.”

This video is being shared in lieu of the weekly message released every Friday from the Governor’s Office. It is available in video and transcript form. In addition, an audio message summarizing his remarks is available, the text of which is included below.

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Transcript of the Governor’s Weekly Message: Unleashing the Potential in Every Delawarean 

We must commit to unleashing the potential of every Delawarean by ensuring equal opportunities to acquire good education and training, find good jobs, and live in safe and vibrant communities. That was my message to our legislature and people across Delaware when I laid out priorities for 2014 in my annual State of the State speech this week.

There’s no question our state is stronger than it was a year ago. Job growth has outpaced the national average, schools are better preparing our students, and businesses are dealing with clearer and fewer regulations. But we have so much more work to do.

If you have the right skills and live in the right communities, good-paying jobs are available. But for too many people, that’s not reality. And a society that squanders the potential of its people is a society that lets its future slip away.

The efforts I’m proposing start with better workforce training: a scholarship fund that will better prepare low-income students for college, as well as a program to help high school students acquire nationally recognized manufacturing certificates. And we’ll support cutting-edge research that leads to new inventions, spawns new companies, and creates jobs.

Other highlights include investments in infrastructure and clean water, which create jobs now and lay the foundation for future economic growth. And we’ve outlined plans to improve educational opportunities for our youth, reduce crime and incentivize development in Delaware’s downtowns. You can find more information on my website – governor.delaware.gov.

Next week, I will unveil a balanced budget that maintains our fiscal responsibility and our AAA credit rating, while making these types of investments.

Every Delawarean has something to contribute if given the chance. By creating the opportunities to give them that chance, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.