All kids matter. Tri-Cities man is facing death but still shows ‘endless compassion’
They all matter.
Some face murder charges. Others are just chronically absent from school.
But for the past 26 years, they’ve been at the center of Eric Lipp’s life: They’re the names and faces of tomorrow.
For more than a quarter century, the 61-year-old detention services manager has dedicated his professional life to serving incarcerated youths at the Benton-Franklin Counties Juvenile Justice Center.
“People could write off our kids easily — ‘Oh, these kids have done terrible things. Why do we even bother?’ But, in the end, we really do belong to each other,” Lipp said.
“This concept that we belong to each other — that we have a responsibility to each other — I mean, that really is at the heart of why we do what we do with our kids. They matter.”
But for Lipp today, his definition of work looks different.
“Breathing is my main priority these days,” he said.
He was diagnosed in November 2020 with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis — a rapid neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Now his days are spent at home rather than at the detention center.
But his “tireless” service and “endless compassion” for Tri-Cities youth hasn’t gone unnoticed.
A classroom at the Kennewick facility has been renamed after him — “The Eric Lipp Youth Programs Center.” And commissioners from Benton and Franklin counties praised him in a joint statement.
Youth at the center also created a woodwork portrait of Lipp framed by a motto he uses to approach life: “Make the most of the best, and the least of the worst.”
ALS continues to break down his nerve cells, reducing functions in his muscles.
Since September, he’s been under hospice care at his home in north Richland, confined to a wheelchair. He’s enjoying the holidays, and the joy that can come with simple human connection.
As his wife, Karen Lipp describes it, he gradually went from “one leg brace, then two leg braces, then a walker.”
“There are good things in it, too, because we’ve done so many things and traveled... his bucket list has just been time with people, and spending time with relationships,” Karen Lipp said.
Even former co-workers come weekly to have lunch with him.
“I think those relationships turn on a whole new meaning when you’re doing meaningful work together,” he said, stringing sentences with shallow breaths.
Needed renovation
The Juvenile Justice Center is a branch of the bi-county Superior Court system.
Juvenile court works with youth who violate criminal laws, are in need of protection or need advocacy as a result of abuse or abandonment, or are at-risk. The center also operates a detention wing.
“I think to a large part, given Eric’s leadership and the staff and programming we have, we see kids better managing their behavior and trying to advance to achieve better opportunities to be involved in these activities and programs,” said juvenile court Adminstrator David Wheeler.
“What we offer these kids is a calm period, an opportunity to maybe make changes,” Eric Lipp chimes in. “And when you talk about changes with these kids, we have to allow for the fact that they’re going to fail, too. They’ll make some advances, they’ll have setbacks .... Our goal is to keep them moving forward, and recognize that they will fall sometimes. It happens.”
Eric Lipp says the work is often overlooked.
As a detention services manager, he responded to whatever the given situation was. His role was to support staff with the daily hands-on work they do.
“Your phone was never on silent,” Karen Lipp said. “There were many middle-of-the-night calls and then he’d go into work at 3 in the morning or 2 in the morning. He never complained about that. I was always impressed.”
About 17 kids at any given time are serving detention, Wheeler said. That number used to be higher — about 50 — a decade ago.
A $21 million renovation is currently being planned for the center.
The project will upgrade old heating and cooling systems, reconfigure facilities for more program and court space and make other improvements.
The 1970s-era building off West Canal Drive in Kennewick no longer meets the county’s program standards.
“I think it’s important to have a functional building that can adequately meet the juvenile justice needs of our growing community,” Wheeler said.
Storied career
Eric and Karen have been married for 41 years. Their families both attended the same church in Fresno, Calif.
“We have had more good years together than many people have,” she says with a smile.
Eric Lipp didn’t think he’d ever work with children. His wife is an elementary school teacher.
“I got an undergraduate degree in psychology, and I really thought I was going to do marriage counseling,” he said.
But that changed when he was 35, when he took on a job working as an on-call detention officer at the juvenile center.
He worked his way up to full-time officer, then interim supervisor before taking the top job.
“I nearly switched to teaching, but frankly I decided I just couldn’t leave. It felt like it was meaningful. .... I think there was a need and that I had an opportunity, I think, to make a difference here,” Eric Lipp said.
Working in detention, you deal with the child as a whole, he says — coordinating mental health care, meals, education, employment programs, physical education and work service projects.
“It’s very good for our kids to focus on others, and try to do good things and see themselves in a different light,” Eric Lipp said. “A lot of our kids haven’t been positive contributors to the community — now they have an opportunity. And, frankly, everybody wants to feel like they’re doing something good.”
During his time at the center, he’s helped expand programs, fought to improve services and conditions, and helped thousands of at-risk youths find their way to a better life. He’s had an impact on kids’ lives, helped them trudge through life’s barriers.
This year, even as Eric Lipp worked remotely and fought through his disease, he advocated for and received funding for a detention program officer for the center — something that couldn’t have been accomplished without his advocacy, Wheeler said.
Eric Lipp’s hope is that the center will continue to be a priority for the community, to expand and do good things for children who have experienced the sharp corners of life.
Even after he passes — this Christmas will be his last — he hopes someone will carry on his vision.
“This story isn’t about me. I’m just a bit player here,” he says.
“It’s about a lot of other people doing the work, but really the story is about our kids. How do we envision the work we do and what do we want the outcome to be?” he asks.
“I think we have a much larger vision about what we do and what we want the outcome to be, and ultimately we want the kids to be the best version of themselves that they can be.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "All kids matter. Tri-Cities man is facing death but still shows ‘endless compassion’."
