Matt and Shareen Springer like to stay busy.

Whether that entails writing grants for Flathead Valley Community College, turning around the lives of at-risk youth or raising adorable 9-month old twins, the Springers are high octane.

Matt is a grant writer for the college, helping secure a record $11 million for FVCC in the four years he has worked there.

Shareen is the director for the Center for Restorative Justice (CRYJ), turning around juvenile offenders before they can head to bigger trouble with the law.

The couple, who rarely had time to sleep before children, had twins in March 2013. Lily and Ben Springer were in the neonatal intensive care unit for almost three weeks. On the way to the delivery room, the parents saw just how much they have impacted the Flathead Valley.

“I had worked to get a grant expanding the paramedic program,” Matt said. “The paramedic in the ambulance had gone through that program.”

Spinger’s grant money has helped expand the nursing, manufacturing, bio-tech, heavy-equipment and agriculture programs at FVCC, among several others.

“The real key has been getting the right projects,” he said. “We’ve been using a shared leadership model to try and find out what’s going to get us to the next level.”

Some of the partners in the last four years include Kalispell Regional Medical Center and the City of Kalispell. 

Shareen has helped hundreds of children repair ties to the communities they’ve harmed. Kids who have shoplifted, vandalized or committed other crimes are given a choice. Either work with Springer and their victim to ask for forgiveness, or get processed in the system.

Unsurprisingly, most choose to work with the center.

“I’ve worked with negligent homicide, felony burglary and my experience is the kids that come through our doors are kids ready to be shamed,” Springer said. “They walk in with their hoods up and heads down. They walk out with heads up and smiles on their faces.”

The Center for Restorative Justice, as its name might suggest, is less about punitive measures and more about showing young people that their actions have ramifications they might not realize. 

“Most victims want to know about the kid as a person,” Springer said. “The youth in this community don’t feel connected. There is a high youth suicide rate. Most of the victims are really good people and want these kids to get back on the right track.”

CRYJ deals with those under 18 years old. The youngest Shareen worked with was an 8-year-old who stole from his teacher. Some of the hundreds she has helped through the program have gone through Flathead Valley Community College. 

Shareen grew up in Whitefish, Matt in Seattle. They met while attending school at the University of Oregon in Eugene. She snowboards and he skies, but other than that the two share a large portion of their limited free time volunteering.

The Tamarack Grief Resource Center, Share Your Voice Foundation and Leadership Flathead are some of the nonprofits toward which the Springers donate time and effort. 

“Both Shareen and I have been very active in our community,” Matt said. “We have been involved in a lot of different organizations. I think that’s all really important.”

His wife has a similar view.

“It may sound really cheesy, but the children are our future,” she said. “The experience of being a teenager can be tough. I want to help them navigate.”

The average youth going through the center gives back 200 hours (individualized to the crime, this could mean volunteering in a storefront, painting over graffiti or any number of things) and is through the system in three months. Shareen has a 98 percent completion rate. 

Matt is doing exciting things as well, and is transitioning from his job in FVCC’s foundation office to a state-wide role. He’ll be working with Great Falls College (and 12 other colleges, including FVCC) out of Kalispell to navigate a $25 million grant project as project director.

The money, part of the Strengthening Workforce Alignment in Montana’s Manufacturing and Energy Industries (SWAMMEI) initiative makes for an ambitious job move.

“We want to create new opportunities for instruction,” Springer said. “It will get people back out and working.”

Springer has nothing but kind things to say about working for Flathead Valley Community College and his boss, Colleen Unterreiner. Still, he felt it was time to change things up. He and Shareen will still live in Kalispell, making a difference when they can.

“I’ve always been really interested in working with people,” Shareen said. “Everyone is ready to give up on these kids and that’s not all right. Matt’s the same way about helping people.”

While the two try to make the Flathead the best place they can by trying new things, one thing is for certain — they won’t be doing it at any speed less than full throttle.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.