David Kronke

That conversation was initiated at Wednesday morning's CIB meeting, when Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun broached it.

Lowry had been slated to appear Sept. 30 at Indiana State University as part of the University's Speaker Series, but on Sept. 18, the school announced

Two Indianapolis-based construction companies' have submitted bids for the former Terre Haute police headquarters property off Wabash Avenue.

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TERRE HAUTE — Terre Haute Police Department social worker Jarom Hawker likes to say that his job is not about him, but try telling that to the folks at Mental Health America of Indiana, who nominated him to be named its 2024 Hero for Recovery. The honor recognizes the assistance Hawker gives people within the community who are having issues with mental health and/or substance abuse disorders or who are homeless. He connects them with resources that can provide aid. When he received an email last week informing him of his nomination, he said his response was a placid, understated ‘Oh, that's nice.'” Hawker is too modest to want to talk about himself, but the accolade comes a little more than a year after he joined the THPD as its first ever social worker. The 2024 Hero for Recovery will be named on Dec. 13 during a luncheon at the Indianapolis Marriott. And next year, highly pleased with the results Hawker has produced, THPD will hire a second social worker. Hawker shrugged at the suggestion that he should be proud that he's doing a job so good they want more like him. “It makes me feel good to know that the community's being served,” he said. “That's the important thing for me. I tell people that I don't care about myself in this sense. I do it for the people who matter the most because everybody has value. “If I can sit down with you and talk with you and give you some relief for a few minutes, and potentially get you connected with where you want to go, if it makes you feel good, then that's all that matters,” he added. “This isn't about me, it never has been,” declared Hawker. “To know that people in the community are having a good impression of it means a lot because it allows this program to grow and that means we can serve more people. And we can become more integrated into the community, which is my over-arching goal.” So let's allow someone else to say something nice about him. Sgt. Justin Sears, THPD's public information officer, said, “Jarom's drive to assist those in need is truly unmatched, and his contributions have been nothing short of a blessing for our department and the community we serve.” Hawker's office desk at the station is covered with tidy rows upon rows of business cards from people whom he routinely refers to his clients — those suffering from mental illness, substance abuse disorder or homelessness. There's not much room on the desk for anything other than the business cards; an adjacent desk in his office has little clutter, though its chair is laden with a number of the cardigans Hawker wears at work. Two recent cases A couple of months ago, a woman suffered a spectacular meltdown inside downtown's Vigo County Public Library. After employees encouraged her to leave the building, she continued her tirade outside. Hawker came from the police station across the street and attempted to speak to her and followed her briefly as she noisily attempted to flee him. After a brief pursuit, Hawker intuitively understood that this was not a good time to try to help her. He gave her her space. “It's a clinical place for me, kind of seeing where the client is,” he explained. “I know the client (being discussed), and the reason I got called out was I have a really good rapport with that client, actually. “Sometimes, it just depends on how she feels that day,” Hawker continued. “Sometimes, she'll let me sit down on the grass with her and kind of talk with her and go through what she's feeling, and sometimes, she doesn't want to be around me. I have noticed that if officers are there, she feels more shut in rather than if it's just me.” Hawker recalled one potentially tragic case that concluded with a positive outcome. “A great example is, I got called by an officer to Woodrow Wilson Middle School for a lady who was in a domestic violence situation,” he remembered. “They were scared to go home, they had their children with them. We were able to work with Pathway/Reach Services, with CODA [the Council on Domestic Abuse], with the Putnam County Sheriff's Department to get that person out of Terre Haute, away from the person who was abusing them, to another county to get resources, which is what they wanted. “At the end of it, they said, ‘I'm so thankful you're getting me out of Terre Haute because the perpetrator lives here and I feel like I would go back to them, so getting out of the city feels safer.'” What impressed Hawker was the collaborative effort put into helping the woman and her children. “That was the great thing about it — it was the officer who called me in, me, Pathways/Reach Services, CODA, Putnam County Sheriffs and Beyond Homeless, because that's [the shelter] where the person went in Greencastle, all working together,” he said. That is “what made it such an impactful thing, because it shows the power of collaboration in communities to help serve people.” Hawker said he has worked with the Vigo County Sheriff's Office a couple of times, adding, “I would like to see them get their own social worker.” He seemed amused when asked if he had to sublimate his personality to do his job or whether he's just naturally modest. “I would say that all humans have a little bit of ‘We want recognition,'” Hawker allowed. “As you'll learn as you're around social workers, you'll find that most of us have instances where we wish someone had been there for us, and that's why we got into this field. “At the end of the day, I've always been this way because everybody has value and there's people out there whose voices never get heard and they deserve to be heard. “Part of social work is empowering people — not to speak for your client, but to help them find their voice to speak for themselves. That's always been important to me.” React to this story: (0 Ratings) Trending Video Recommended for you Featured Local Savings

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at [email protected] Trending Video

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Terre Haute Police Department social worker Jarom Hawker likes to say that his job is not about him, but try telling that to the folks at Mental Health America of