2010 Most Influential Women Honoree: Suzanne Stracke

When Suzanne Stracke was a juvenile probation officer in the Greene County Juvenile Office, she worked under a grant that funded prevention programs for at-risk youth, targeting illiteracy, truancy, teen health and delinquency. When the grant funding ended,
Stracke got to work to fill the gap.

In 2008, she founded Programs for Youth, a 501(c)3 organization. She recruited a board of directors and volunteers and was able to reinstate the programs that had been cut.

“The many services we provide help our teens through difficult situations and provide tools and support that assist them in building a solid foundation for a healthy future,” Stracke says. “We have worked with more than 200 youth in our Life Skills program.”

She continues to work aggressively to combat area delinquency and truancy rates, as well as to raise funds and advocate for the program – and area youth – in the community. Programs for Youth, she says, is supported solely by donations.

“My greatest accomplishment thus far has been the creation and sustainability of a nonprofit organization during a depressed economy,” she says. “I have worked very hard to raise funds creatively and successfully.”

Stracke’s professionalism, commitment to her cause and competence has earned the respect of board members. She collaborates with the Greene County Juvenile Office, Community Foundation of the Ozarks and Missouri State University, as well as local businesses and government entities to spread the word and built support for Programs for Youth.

She did internships for several entities, including the Community Learning Center, a detention facility for males. In 2003, she was recognized with a Presidential Volunteer Service Award, conferred by President George W. Bush.

She earned her bachelor’s in criminology and sociology from MSU in August 2005. By then, she was working with at-risk young girls through Greene County Juvenile Services. In that role, she conducted sessions on peer pressure, abuse and violence prevention, and she led activities to help enhance their self-esteem and self-sufficiency.

A year later, she took on a new role with the county’s juvenile system as probation officer and juvenile office liaison. In that role, she targeted truancy, teen health and delinquency.
She created the Girls Group outreach program and developed and directed the Life Experience and Accountability Program, which addressed some of the root troubles for at-risk children, such as peer pressure, bullying and substance abuse.

In 2007 and 2008, Greene County Juvenile Services recognized Stracke’s work with consecutive To The Top awards.

Accolades aside, however, Stracke there is still plenty of work to be done so that Programs for Youth can fulfill its mission.

“I am working hard to continue to build our name recognition and involvement among all levels of the corporate community and government entities,” she says. “Our goal is to ensure that our free services are widely known to those young people and families in need of help, and that we are able to continue to expand our offerings to meet their needs.”[[In-content Ad]]