Teen Court of Sarasota, recently received a $45,000 donation from Personalized Estate Liquidation Benefiting Youth, Inc. (PEL) to support our shared mission to help at-risk youth in Sarasota County. PEL selects organizations that support youth in need, particularly teens at-risk. Teen Court of Sarasota provides programs and services to young people worthy of a second chance to learn and grow from their mistakes. This is PEL’s fifth gift to Teen Court making, it a total of $220,000 donated. "PEL’s significant investment in Teen Court will support the notable 10% increase in referrals we have seen already this year. Generous donations like this allow our staff to address the needs of our clients without a financial burden or strain. Our clients receive a second chance and the tools to continue making law-abiding decisions thanks to empowering programs. Our healthy digital practices, substance abuse, and life skills groups will benefit from this donation. We are so grateful to PEL’s board and volunteers for their support of local youth” said Heather Todd, Executive Director. This $45,000 gift allows Teen Court to serve its clients their families without the worry of paying for it. 65% of those we serve on are on or below the poverty line, and 43% have indicated depression or anxiety. Over 700 youth were referred to our programs in 2022. We are most proud of our 90% success rate with our Substance Abuse Program (10% re-offense rate). 84% of our youth served have improved their grades since participating in the Teen Court programs, and 93% of parents have seen positive changes in their teen since participating in Teen Court.