Kiwanians learn how AMI Kids assist Crenshaw families
Published 6:00 pm Friday, July 4, 2025
- Jamelyn Smith with AMI Kids partners with Crenshaw County District Judge Jon Folmar to serve local youth and families. Pictured are (left to right) Tiny Miss Goshen Caroline Hughes, Jamelyn Hughes and Folmar.
The Luverne Kiwanis Club hosted functional family therapist Jamelyn Hughes at the group’s Tuesday, July 1 meeting. Focused on helping the community in a variety of ways, club members learned how Hughes, in her role with AMI Kids, works alongside the county’s juvenile court to serve local youths and their families.
Club members learned how therapists like Hughes receive referrals through the Crenshaw County Juvenile Court, working alongside District Judge Jon Folmar and Chief Juvenile Probation Officer (JPO Heather Coots to help families avoid adjudication.
“I go into their houses,” Hughes said. “I see the entire family, or as many people as they want, and we do functional family care (FFT), a program that’s backed by our research to help [families] reduce recidivism. Our program is short term and I tell them, ‘I can do everything [to help] except to make you want to do this.’”
Folmar described how the court connects families with AMI Kids to help mediate problems before the go too far.
“I’ll put in an order for individual and family counseling,” Folmar said.
Hughes described the history of the organization’s work, which she said began with one juvenile judge with a heart for helping at-risk youths overcome life-challenging situations.
“AMI Kids stands for American Marine Institute,” she explained. “It’s a little-known fact that it was a juvenile judge who started the program.”
“He talked to [youths in the juvenile court system] about sailing. He taught them how to tie knots and how to work a sailing ship. Suddenly, he started seeing a change in their lives and the program formed from there.”
Hughes said primary issues facing Crenshaw County children and families are truancy, abuse and mental health. AMI Kids therapists work to mitigate those issues, working with families to meet them on their own terms.
AMI Kids is a nationwide organization offering services through its schools, residential programs, day treatment centers and family services like those offered in Crenshaw County.
The Alabama division employs several therapists, like Hughes, who see children and teens in several counties, including Crenshaw, Butler and Lowndes counties. They accept insurance and Medicaid and also treat youths incarcerated in Alabama’s Department of Youth Services (DYS) centers.
The FFT model employs dysfunctional manual therapy in 12 to 15 sessions to help families navigate challenging life situations.
“We try to meet one-on-one once a week,” Hughes said. “Therapy can be altered based on the family’s needs and we are monitored by a consultant who makes sure we are doing our jobs.
“We do this in three phases. In the beginning, I talk with them [to discover the needs]. Then we learn how to manage life’s challenges and how to continue using the techniques we teach. At that point, we help the family with resources.”
Hughes said she helps meet every tangible need within her ability to connect families with resources.
“I have done everything from helping a family get Medicaid [forms] turned in, to finding tutors, baby items, food, housing, jobs and college scholarships,” Hughes said. Once she delivered a donated laptop to help one teen get into online high school programs. On another occasion, she picked up food from a local food ministry and delivered bags of groceries to a family’s home.
“One little boy in Crenshaw County lived down a dirt road,” she recalled. “His parents wouldn’t take him to school… and the bus couldn’t pick him up. Online school [was an option] but the family didn’t have internet or a computer.”
Hughes said after she delivered the laptop, local school administrators helped the family gain Wi-Fi access, and the student was able to enroll in online classes.
“I’ve seen so many wonderful people in the community [helping],” she said.
Hughes said therapists welcome individuals and organizations to help connect families with local resources. To learn more about how to help, contact Folmar’s office at (334) 335-6568.