Security officer’s efforts to locate student lauded
Man, 21, had been hospitalized after being struck by car
Chris Harris received a hero’s welcome last week at a Community High School District 218 board meeting for his efforts to locate a missing student who, it turns out, had been hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle.
After presenting Harris with a plaque made by students in the district’s Adult Transition Program, Superintendent Josh Barron gave him a bear hug.
“He truly was concerned, hurt and in pain and had sleepless nights worrying about where (the student) was,” Barron said after the meeting. “He was relentless to figure it out.”
Barron said Harris, a security officer for the district’s Adult Transition Program, also volunteers to help homeless people and distributes toys at Christmastime.
“You can’t teach that — he just embodies that desire and need to help people. It fulfills him,” Barron said. “He’s just a good man, good human being and a friend and someone I’m just grateful is in our district.”
After starting out as a resource officer at District 218 schools, Harris worked for the Cook County sheriff ’s office. Upon retiring, Barron asked him to come back, and Harris started back with the district in August.
In the hallway after the board meeting, Harris received many pats on the back and more hugs.
But it was all in a day’s work, he said.
The Adult Transition Program student, 21, had walked to a friend’s house Dec. 17 from his home in Calumet Park, where he lives with his grandmother. When he didn’t return home, his grandmother called the Calumet Park Police Department and then ATP program staff.
Harris started making calls to area hospitals, police departments and the medical examiner. .
He drove around Harvey and Blue Island, where Jenkins had last been seen. Tim Dougherty, an ATP teacher, who knew and cherished the young man, went with him.
In the meantime, a district teacher contacted Harris telling him a friend who worked at Advocate Christ Medical Center double checked the clothing description of a young man who had been brought in. District staff immediately recognized his pajama pants with cartoon characters. The student had been found.
Four days after he had gone missing, Harris was able to see the student in the hospital’s intensive care unit and was greeted with a smile.
“He gave me a glimmer of some hope,” Harris said. “He’s doing well.”
Jenkins was able to return home that day, though school staff said he will likely need lengthy rehabilitation.
Harris said he was glad the
student didn’t become just another statistic.
“This is my thing, there are so many African American kids who are missing, around 200,000 last year and 150,000 of those kids are under age 18,” Harris said. “I wanted to do my best to get out and pass the word out and see what I could come up with through friends and everyone else.
“It was really a group effort between myself and the rest of the staff and whole district.”
Kerry McNicholas, a vocational coordinator in the Adult Transition Program, said Harris’ actions weren’t surprising.
“Chris is just a very warm soul,” she said. “On birthdays, he brings a balloon. He cares deeply. He’ll ask how you’re doing, how’s your day.”
McNicholas was also part ofe fforts to welcome the student home. Employees made a scrapbook for him and signed a blanket with well wishes after he was injured. She said employees at the Lighthouse Church, where the student is in job training, were distraught over his disappearance.
Alison Wilde, who coordinates the ATP program, was also impressed by Harris.
“He was just incredible,” she said.
Wilde said there were many others from the district who were involved with the effort, including his teachers, social workers and psychologists who reached out to Jenkins’ former friends in high school.
“When we say ATP being a family, this is the perfect example,” Wilde said.
Another person at the meeting who wasn’t surprised by Harris’ e ff orts was his wife, Arbie.
“I’m very proud of him,” Arbie Harris said. “He always goes above and beyond.
“He has a big heart.”