EUCLID, Ohio — The Cleveland Public Safety Ambassador Program is a first of its kind here. The idea is to keep kids on the right path and spark interest in a career they may not have considered.
It's a paid year-long opportunity to immerse young adults into the public safety field.
There is a message about faith and foundation at Saint Robert and William School in Euclid.
"You can do anything you're capable of doing absolutely anything in life," Interim Safety Director Wayne Drummond said.
Drummond rose through the police ranks over 35 years.
But told students there are so many more opportunities to serve.
Young men and women seated front and center at the school assembly got a taste.
"I was a bit hesitant," Ambassador Orlando Booker, Jr., 26, said.
Booker is one of the first 11 Public Safety Ambassadors.
He wants to become a firefighter like his aunt.
"I didn't know too much about it. I was going from job to job," Booker said.
Matthew Pitzer is also an ambassador on a path toward firefighting.
"My goal is to rescue people so firefighting felt like the way to go," Pitzer said.
Monique Barnett is looking at an EMT and paramedic career.
"It's something I can definitely see myself in and something I can really say I really like doing," Barnett said.
The ambassador program connected them with people in a wide-ranging field.
"We get to meet the people who have already been doing it and make connections," Pitzer said.
Safety Ambassador Coordinator Tiffinie Kelly is a former school teacher.
She's been heading up the inaugural ambassador program since last June as the coordinator recruiting young people for the long haul.
"I believe that most of them have come to a decision that they want to work either within public safety or some division within the city of Cleveland," Kelly said.
There is a staffing need. For example, The Cleveland Division of Police currently has 1,154 officers on staff. CPD is budgeted for 1350 officers.
Students are attuned to the challenges.
"What kind of programs are in place to help grow a police force?" one student asked Dir. Drummond.
Drummond pointed to programs like the ambassadors and police explorers.
"Growing up as an explorer I didn't have this opportunity, however being a part of the program exposed me to things like this," one officer said.
Since last September, the ambassadors have interacted with the students.
"You start off small, start as a youth, you never know what the ideas will do or bring a child," Booker said.
"They're looking forward to those connections," Kelly said.
The program is opening doors and opportunities.
"Public safety is a calling, you provide service to your community," Drummond said.
The ambassadors also connect with members of the community through community service.
The Cleveland Public Safety Ambassadors program will take applications soon for its upcoming year.
It's for young adults ages 18 to 26 years old.
