Jerry McNeal’s first job in residential treatment was as a Youth Specialist at the Northwest Regional Youth Center in Missouri, working for three years with some of the most severe cases of childhood trauma. Many of the youth in his care had committed felonies, including behaviors that required intensive support to reduce the likelihood that they would reoffend or progress further into the juvenile justice system.
Despite the difficult nature of his work, Jerry found success in his role, perhaps best measured by the fact that his unit went nine months without using a restraint.
“I felt like I was already functioning as a manager,” said Jerry. “I knew I could develop people, and I needed another challenge.”
Luckily, Jerry’s boss, Marlo Williams, saw potential in him, too. When she transitioned to Cornerstones of Care as the Director of the Residential Treatment Program at the Ozanam Campus, she invited Jerry to join her team as Program Manager.
“I just fell in love with the organization,” said Jerry. “Everything goes back to safety and security – the two biggest things I learned from Marlo. When kids feel safe and secure, they aren’t going to have behaviors.”
Now in his sixth year on the job, Jerry invests what he has learned from Marlo and other colleagues into his team members and the youth they serve. By night, he gives that same energy to his players as a high school football coach at University Academy.
“Just yesterday one of my kiddos got signed to William Jewell to play football,” said Jerry. “Seeing others succeed is my biggest joy and accomplishment.”
People who meet Jerry will quickly realize that he is always one to share the spotlight, constantly giving shout-outs to others for the inspiration and success that helped him get where he is today.
One person he credits is Ted Arrandale, the former Program Manager who now works in the Training Department and helped get Jerry started in his new role. Others include his direct reports and the case managers who keep in touch with kids in the community.
“My success is one hundred percent due to them,” said Jerry. “It’s like the head coach of the football team. The coach is not always going to be in the paper; we do behind-the-scenes work.”
Jerry’s role at the Ozanam Campus is truly collaborative, relying on a wide variety of team members to supervise 10-12 kids in each of the five residential dorms. Each dorm has a different specialty area – from the Northwest Dorm for kids on the autism spectrum to the Northeast Dorm for kids who are sexually reactive or have experienced sexual trauma. In 2023, Cornerstones of Care also opened a temporary shelter on campus for Kansas youth between placements.
“We got a great group of people from the clinical staff to the direct care staff,” said Jerry. “They are here to make sure the kids are healthy and get to address their trauma. It’s not going to be just a stay at Ozanam that means they have no trauma, but we’re here to work on it.”
For Jerry, “working on it” means being a supervisor who is on the floor doing the same hands-on work as his team members and building relationships with the youth.
“I want to be someone that’s going to listen and is willing to do the work,” said Jerry. “I want to be there for my staff and understand what they’re going through.”
In February, Jerry spent Super Bowl Sunday at the Ozanam Campus, watching the big game with the kids so some of his team members could stay home.
Part of the benefit of taking kids to sports games, the zoo, and other off-campus destinations is to help kids in residential treatment feel like regular kids. Plus, field trips allow the kids to build relationships with team members and realize that they are regular people, too.
“Ozanam is like a family – at least, that’s the culture I try to create,” said Jerry.
Jerry’s inspiration for his work extends beyond his Cornerstones of Care family to his real family, too, including his wife and two kids.
Just this last year, Jerry and his family suffered a big loss with the passing of his grandmother, Willie McNeal. Jerry’s mom, a single parent, relied on her mother’s caretaking support while she worked full-time. At Grandma’s house, Jerry received some of the biggest life lessons he carries with him today.
“My grandparents always preached: take care of people,” said Jerry. “My grandma was someone who, if she saw someone on the street, would give them five dollars, even if she had little to give.”
In his role at the Ozanam Campus, Jerry gets to extend that care to the youth and celebrate with them when they make progress or are discharged to their school district, home, or other living situation.
One kid recently received the unofficial record as one of the leading scorers on the Ozanam Campus basketball team, averaging 30 points a game in his first year on the court.
In the early days of the season, the youth had to sit out a few games due to poor behavior as a reminder that basketball is not everything and that his behavior still mattered.
Jerry was at the season's final game, cheering loudly from the bleachers, even when the team was down by double digits.
“It’s been cool to see where he’s come from and how he used sports as his therapy,” said Jerry. “I’m a firm believer in education and academics. If our kids aren’t doing well in school, then they aren’t going out to have fun. I think that’s one of my biggest goals – to make sure that kids graduate.”
And again, Jerry recognizes that it takes a team to show up for kids in the residential treatment program and help them find success in life – whatever that may look like for them.
Join Our Team“Our kids need that consistency,” said Jerry. “That’s part of why I pride myself on coming to work every day. Good days or bad days, I always come here with a smile and get people going and motivate them through hard situations.”