On Friday and Saturday July 12-13, 2013, Luis Rosa presented a workshop on Motivational Interviewing for CRESC members interested in mentoring ex-offenders.  Most attendees reported that the workshop was outstanding!  Over the coming year, we intend to review those motivational interviewing concepts at the First Friday mentor sessions.  For persons who attended, you are invited to add comments to this post so others can see what your response is.

The CRESC Workforce Development Committee, working with the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and the PA Board of Probation & Parole Citizen's Advisory Committee, has scheduled an employer breakfast for Thursday, December 13, 2012, 7:30am to 9:30am at the Best Western Premier - The Central Hotel & Conference Center at 800 E Park Drive, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. All three organizations will sponsor the event. The employer breakfast is intended to highlight businesses that have had success in hiring ex-offenders and to recruit new individuals to work with ex-offenders as mentors and employers . The cost is $15.00 per attendee and registration will be available shortly at the Chamber’s web site www.harrisburgregionalchamber.org/  Please contact Dr. Robert G. Garraty if you have any questions. His phone is717-561 0209 and email is rgarraty1@comcast.net 

Subject: LIFE WITHOUT BARS: Removing Bars to Reentry Conference Registration Form
Hello All, 

The Southwestern PA Reentry Coalition (SPARC) is holding its first annual reentry conference entitled LIFE WITHOUT BARS: Removing Invisible Bars to Reentry on September 28th, 2012, from 8am – 5pm at the Teplitz Memorial Moot Courtroom located in the Barco Law Building, The University of Pittsburgh School of Law. This special event will focus on national, state and local strategies and solutions to effectively reintegrate individuals with criminal backgrounds back into communities in Southwestern PA. 

We are pleased to announce that the United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, David Hickton, and Joseph Sestak, former U.S. Representative for the 7th Congressional district of Pennsylvania, will both serve as keynote speakers for this event. In addition, this powerhouse conference will host several state and federal judges, leading officials in state and federal probation and parole, and multiple community and faith-based leaders in reentry from several organizations located in Southwestern PA. 

Here is the link to download invitation and registration information for the upcoming SPARC Reentry Conference entitled LIFE WITHOUT BARS: Removing Invisible Bars to Reentry. 

http://monvalleyinitiative.com/files/sparc%20conference%20registration%20form.pdf 

Seating is limited, so please return registration forms as soon as possible. If you have any question, please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you, again, for your interest in attending this event. 

Best Regards, 

Nigel A. Smith, MSW 
Senior Workforce Development Specialist/ 
Southwestern PA Re-Entry Coalition Coordinator

Dear Vladimir,

It was a pleasure meeting you this morning,thank you for being so gracious.  I only have a week remaining to make this happened. I am the Vicewoman for a humanitarian organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by the name Lighthouse Covenant International. You can learn more about our work atwww.lciintl.com.  We have been working in the Philadelphia Prison System for the past 3 years, our work includes teaching and advocate on behalf of the inmates that successfully completes our program (Transform Your Mind Interactive Learning Initiative).

As you know Incarceration is a problem we can’t ignore, with an invisible crisis. 2.3 million men, women, and juveniles are currently held in American correctional facilities, locked up out of sight and out of mind. Morally lost and spiritually blind, those doing time for their crimes face overwhelming loneliness and despair. Their communities and their families – including 1.7 million innocent children – also suffer deeply from the never-ending cycle of lawlessness and imprisonment. That’s why God calls His followers to “remember the prisoner” (Heb. 13:3).

We know you care as much as we do at Lighthouse Covenant International about the laws in our country that has created the mass incarceration of our citizen, that is now destroying our families and communities..  Well, here is our chance to be part of the change; President Obama Administration will take action if we can get 25,000 people to sign this petition we created on the Whitehouse.gov by August 5, 2012.

To make sure we did not make you up, the administration requires you register to sign the petition. Please fellow the link
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/reforming-our-criminal-justice-system-stop-mass-incarceration-our-citizen/ZxHPy4W2
I would appreciate it very much the help of you and your organization in assisting us in reaching our goal to take this National Petition to Washington DC

We are the difference,
God Bless,
Maurine McFarlane

Details were published in PennLive Monday January 30, 2012.  Click here to read the full story.