Austin Bishop knew trouble was in store, he said, when he emptied his pockets in the principal's office and a whole lot of "bad stuff" came out.

Bad enough to land him at the Juvenile Detention Center at 12 years old.

"More annoying," was his opinion of his first sentence. "Like there were better things I could be doing."

Clearly, the boy needed direction. But he couldn't talk to his parents, he said, who were facing their own marital issues.

So he turned to Jeff Cheeseborough.

The chaplain's jolly face was one of the first Bishop saw at the detention center each time the teenager was arrested, he remembered.

They would sit and chat, pressure free. Bishop vented about what was going on, and Cheeseborough offered some thoughts about changing things.

"Eventually, his advice sunk in," Bishop said with a chuckle.

That encouragement and advice, as well as more to follow in years after, Bishop attributes to why he is now a business owner, husband and father of two at 29.

And it all started in JDC.

"It's kind of a weird thing, when you go to jail, that there's somebody there actually encouraging you and lifting you up," Bishop said. "You think of jail, you go there and you don't expect anybody to be nice or have sympathy."

But that's what Jeff Cheeseborough is all about.

Cheeseborough, "the cheese," as he's known to youth around town, is the single paid staff member of nonprofit Juvenile Justice Outreach. The Post Falls chaplain has made it his full-time responsibility to mentor children who land in the JDC, where he counsels some one-on-one and also holds group sessions for teens to unload their hopes, fears and anything else cluttering their minds.

"It's what God has called me to do," is the explanation he always provides.

Some kids he meets at JDC are terrified, Cheeseborough said. Some are relieved to be out of a poor home environment. Many just don't have an adult they can trust, he said.

"I just listen to them," Cheeseborough said. "I share with them my own story, getting off track when I was young, having issues in my life. I share how I came through that. I talk to them about reasons for them to have hope."

Cut Short

But it might be ending.

After ministering to youth at the detention center for 15 years, during which he has facilitated more than 3,000 groups and helped roughly 20,000 youth, Cheeseborough's nonprofit is on the brink of collapse.

He has recently lost about 70 percent of his funding, due to grants and private funding falling through.

"It's a bump in the road," said Cheeseborough, 56. "I figure hey, if this is what God wants me to do, he'll help me."

A fundraiser to salvage the entity has been organized by Pastor Paul Van Noy of Candlelight Christian Fellowship, who sits on the advisory board for Cheeseborough's nonprofit. The event at 5 p.m. on Jan. 15 at The Coeur d'Alene Resort will include dinner, music and testimonies of Cheeseborough's work.

No one could simply start over with what Cheeseborough has accomplished in building relationships with youth, agencies and the community, Van Noy said.

"I can tell you story after story, of so many young people whose lives were impacted," Van Noy said, adding that many have been among his own congregation. "It's our privilege and responsibility to get behind what Jeff is doing and assist what he's done successfully for several years."

There Any Time

Cheeseborough considers it his calling to minister to detained youth, he said, after his own struggles growing up in a dysfunctional household in southern California.

"I became a very rage filled, angry, fear-filled young man," he said. "I turned to drugs and alcohol. I was very violent in my relationship with guys."

He had a "transforming experience" at 20 that convinced him to change his life, he said. Now he seeks to help others find the same forgiveness and direction.

That involves counseling about five groups a week for youth 12 to 18, he said, and mentoring about 13 a week individually.

He estimates about 40 percent have struggled with mental, emotional and substance abuse issues.

"A lot of kids ask the question, 'How do I find guidance to become a healthy adult? How do I change?'" Cheeseborough said. "They see the damage they do, by not relating well."

Detained children are grateful for an informal conversation with someone who isn't part of any system, said J.T. Taylor, director of the District 1 JDC.

"(Cheeseborough) provides an incredible service to us as a facility. He's here for everything from Bible study and religious services to exploring dependency groups, exploring spirituality groups," Taylor said. "He has the ability to transcend all these different state agencies that are typically working with the kids, and connect with them on a level they can understand."

On top of meeting with the youth, Cheeseborough connects with agencies like Court Appointed Special Advocates and county probation to ensure the kids are getting everything they need. He also speaks at schools about following a healthy path.

Every child Cheeseborough meets, whether at school or at JDC, he provides with a card with his cell phone number.

Call it any time, he tells them, day or night, if you need help.

"Over all these years, I've never had it abused once," Cheeseborough said. "You'd think that's kind of risky, but it just tells you they respect and honor the effort."

His efforts didn't stop when he was diagnosed with colon cancer this May, though sometimes his wife, Laura, has to drive him when the chemotherapy affects his mobility.

"I think a good attitude is more than half the battle," Cheeseborough said simply. "Whether I live or die, I've got a God who's in my future. My perspective in the meantime is I'll do what he wants me to do."

Impacts

Sandra Gunn, executive director for CASA, said Cheeseborough is constantly checking in to help for children the nonprofit is working with.

He is really alone in interacting with the kids every day, she added.

"It can be as minimal as having a calm conversation without anything threatening like, 'you're going to jail' or 'you'll be on the streets,'" she said. "It gives them the confidence that there's something better they can achieve."

Rebekah Trunkey still remembers group discussions with Cheeseborough when she was in JDC at 13.

"He's just easy to trust," Trunkey said. "You can walk in there with not the least bit of trust for anyone, and walk out feeling like you just opened up to the most trustworthy person ever."

She heard the worst stories of her life in those sessions, she said, some about drug abuse, some about destructive relationships. When the girls shared, they all felt like they had a voice, she said.

It was after a desperate call to Cheeseborough from jail at 17, Trunkey added, that he helped her connect with a women's ministry which helped her get on her feet.

"Those seeds he sowed in my life have been watered, and even now have come to fruition where I'm making an impact on people around me," said Trunkey, now 29 and working for a Spokane ministry. "He has a long-term effect on people. I don't care if the person is 13, he or she will remember him in their future and what was spoken."

More Time

As long as the funds are around, Cheeseborough will minister to youth as long as he can, he said.

"I really don't see anything called retirement," he said. "I've been blessed far more than most of the kids I've helped. They've been such a blessing in helping me become a better man."

His nonprofit has a budget of about $42,000, to fund his salary and other nonprofit costs.

Van Noy said the Jan. 15 fundraiser aims to raise as much as it can, the profits used as needed to maintain Cheeseborough's efforts. Folks can sponsor a table or come on their own, with opportunities to give at the event.

Those interested in attending the event or donating can contact Van Noy at 772-7755.

For more information, go to www.JuvenileJusticeOutreach.com.

Bishop said he continues to rely on Cheeseborough for counsel and advice, through building his career and his family.

He has even started giving advice himself, he said, holding similar group sessions to pay the favor forward.

"I think every young person, even adults, need somebody in their life like Jeff no matter what, who they can talk to and turn to and never have judgment," he said. "No other person in my life has ever put that on me, and I know there are many, many people he's impacted in the same way."