Sue Furtney started volunteering for Teaching Peace about a year ago. Originally, she practiced law as a Criminal Attorney, and then became a stay-at-home-mom.

Teaching Peace works in collaboration with Longmont Community Justice to rehabilitate juvenile offenders without incarcerating them into the criminal justice system. Furtney explained, "When a minor's involved, they're referred into this program and the people in the circle will create an agreement. The agreement stipulates that the person who committed the harm assists the person directly affected."

Furtney said, "It makes it real, makes it human and allows people to take responsibility for their actions, repair the harm, change their behavior and make better decisions in the future."

Amanda Mahan of Teaching Peace said, "Sue has made a huge impact with our organization and the lives of our clients."

"Often when you're immature, you don't think things through and sometimes the ramifications are greater than the person thinks," said Furtney. "When everyone in the circle understands what occurred, a great deal of anger can dissolve. You end up having good citizens from this process who might have chosen a different path."

For information about volunteering with Teaching Peace or other agencies, call the Volunteer Connection at 303-444-4904.