group of young men were brought together by then-Sergeant Tony Jones and the late Richard Baxter, at the time a counselor at the Corner Drug Store. They met once a week to talk about their lives and receive guidance towards a healthy and productive life. Within a short time the group included 25 students and outgrew its meeting space. With the assistance of the Gainesville Builder’s Association, the program staff and students fixed up a house in southeast Gainesville that the Reichert family had donated to the state. The group set up operations there and was renamed the Reichert House. Through a federal grant obtained with the help of then-Congresswoman Karen Thurman, Jones introduced academic tutoring. “They call it the prison pipeline, going from the classroom to the prison if you fail. We’re trying to interrupt that pipeline,” Jones said. “We’re encouraging kids that they can achieve academically. With many of these kids, that is their only ticket out. They say, ‘I want to be a basketball player, I want to be a football player.’ But I always say, ‘What’s your insurance?’ Your insurance is your education.” Reichert House students often take field trips to theme parks, restaurants, political offices and college campuses. Such trips do more than give incentive for positive behavior; they also expose the students to new experiences and broaden their worldview. During one recent outing the boys learned to water ski. In other instances they have spoken with politicians and tackled challenge courses on Parris Island, S.C. They have visited cities they might never have seen, do activities they never thought of before, and met peers who are living examples of what life can be like when they contribute positively to the community. Students eligible for the Reichert House must meet a set of at-risk criteria as defined
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