BEMIDJI-In an effort to help bring insight to others during an upcoming conference, three speakers will revisit a 30-year-old tragedy that shook a Minnesota community.
Under the title, "Hope and Healing for Youth and Families," Evergreen Youth and Family Services will host its annual conference May 1-3 in Bemidji.
In addition to a presentation from the man behind a beleaguered high school's comeback in Washington State, several people impacted by the Jacob Wetterling abduction and murder will tell their stories of either overcoming hardship or helping others to do so.
The speakers will include Jacob's mother, Patty Wetterling; Jared Scheierl, who, at age 12, was assaulted by the same man who murdered Jacob; and Jane Straub, who has worked as a victim advocate for the Jacob Wetterling Foundation.
"It's actually three people presenting together, kind of from three different perspectives about how that particular trauma unfolded in their lives," said Dan McKeon, executive director of Evergreen Youth and Family Services.
ADVERTISEMENT
Jacob Wetterling was an 11-year-old boy who was abducted in 1989 in St. Joseph, Minn. It wasn't until more than 25 years later that his remains were found. Although his murderer was sentenced to 20 years in prison, it was on a separate case, as the statute of limitations on the Wetterling murder ran out by the time his remains were found.
The Wetterling abduction led to the creation of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act. Before the act was approved in 1994, there was no federal law requiring sex offender registration.
In addition to those speaking of the Wetterling Case, the conference will include a keynote address from Jim Sporleder, who was the focus of the movie "Paper Tigers."
The movie chronicles Sporleder's efforts at a high school in Walla Walla, Wash., where he helped the school achieve a 90 percent decrease in suspensions, a 75 percent decrease in fights, and a five fold increase in graduation rates.
There will be a screening of "Paper Tigers" on Wednesday, May 1, at Bemidji High School. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the movie is scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m.
Evergreen's annual conference will then be held Thursday and Friday, May 2-3, at the Sanford Center.
Evergreen's annual conference draws between 300 and 400 people from across the state for training and networking. In addition to the keynote speakers, it will feature a number of breakout sessions. Those who attend are typically professionals from a number of different fields, such as education, social services, and behavioral health.
"It's kind of seen as a regional, professional conference for people in the human services field," McKeon said.
