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Epiphany is a mentoring program for ex-offenders sponsored
by the UCONN Cooperative Extension System that is carried on by faith
communities. Epiphany creates a network of support to enable ex-offenders to
build successful lives in society.
Epiphany’s pilot program began at Calvary-St. George’s
Church in Bridgeport during 2005. It is modeled after the New Life Program
initiated by Christ the King Church in Old Lyme, Connecticut. New Life helps
ex- offenders deal with tasks such as obtaining a driver’s license, finding
housing, searching for a job, and accessing food and clothing. Begun under the
direction of the Reverend Ellen Kennedy, Associate at Calvary-St. George’s, the
church has spent most of the year developing and implementing a pilot-mentoring
project.
Funding for the Epiphany Program Pilot came from grants
received from the Inner City Foundation of Charity and Education, Bridgeport
through John Santa, as well as the Mission Development Committee of the
Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. The Isaiah Prison Ministry of St. James
Episcopal Church, Preston served as the fiduciary agent.
We began by enlisting the support of volunteers from the
church. During the summer the Reverend Kennedy and Cherry Czuba of the UCONN
Cooperative Extension System, hosted a series of nine hours of workshops
designed to train volunteers as mentors for ex-offenders and resource team
members to support the mentors. Among the first steps in the training process
was to learn about the roles and responsibilities of a mentor, as well as the
special relationships that are necessary with ex-offenders. Since the mentors
had not worked with offenders in the past, the workshops also provided a profile
of the mentees who would become part of the Epiphany Program.
In additional workshops, mentors met with representatives
from social service agencies in the Bridgeport community, including Miracle
House, Progressive Associates, Inc, the Council of Church’s Co-Op Center, the
Family Services Woodfield and the Center for Women and Families. Each
representative described his/her agency and the resources it provided for
helping an ex-offender build a new life in society to help ex-offenders deal
with tasks. Each agency can serve as an important resource that works with the
mentor/mentee partnership.
Mentors
and Mentees-A Partnership
During the fall of 2005, the Epiphany Program began working
with our first mentee Ms. D, identified by our Prison Liaison Coordinator, The
Reverend Valerie Dixon, who works at Sacred Place, York Correctional Institution
(YCI). Two of our volunteer mentors, Marva King and Kristin Miles, served as a
team to help begin her new life in Bridgeport. She had become highly committed
to the Epiphany concept during her incarceration at YCI. As a result of a
culinary arts certificate received at YCI, Ms. D was qualified to become a cook
and, shortly after coming to the area, she found a job at a diner in the greater
Bridgeport area. Ms. King and Ms. Miles also assisted her in setting
priorities, developing her resume, preparing for job interviews, and accessing
the local clothing closet and food pantries.
“Ms. D knows what she wants and works hard.” Marva said.
“She read the newspaper want ads and called to answer an ad for a job. Ms. D is
so positive that Kristin and I feel very lucky to have her as our first mentee.
It gives us hope,” Marva added.
As Kristin explained, “Ms. D makes the mentors look good.
I am spiritually nourished by her.” The mentors have worked closely with Ms. D
helping her find clothing, shop for food, and providing her with emotional
support. “I can pick up the phone and Kristin and Marva are there,” Ms. D said.
Marva and Kristin went with Ms. D to Family Services Woodfield to help her
select some clothing.
Ms. D experienced a spiritual awakening through programs
offered at Sacred Place, Inc. She was baptized and received her first
communion. “It was my wake up call,” she said. The experience with her, our
first mentee, has been so successful that the Epiphany Project is currently
preparing to begin a relationship with another ex-offender. Marva and Kristin
shared their experiences with the other volunteers, as a second team
enthusiastically began to prepare for the next mentoring relationship. Other
members of the team include Rowena Kemp and Gwendolyn Johnson as mentors and
Richard Worth as public relations resource team member and Shirley Gette as
community resource team member. Meanwhile, Epiphany is preparing a training
manual for additional faith communities and planning to do more training in
March.
How We Got Here?
In 2003 The Reverend Dianne Warley, Deacon St. John’s
Episcopal Church, Niantic and Cherry Czuba, UCONN Cooperative Extension Educator
met members of the New Life Prison Ministry, an interfaith ministry of Christ
the King Roman Catholic Church, Old Lyme at the home of the Reverend Laurie
Etter, chaplain at York Correctional Institution and also co- director of Sacred
Place, Inc. New Life has mentored over 80 ex-offenders over the last 15 years
and has an 85% success rate. Inspired by their results, Rev. Warley and Ms.
Czuba first joined New Life and then created the Epiphany design team to
replicate and expand their efforts statewide.
In the fall of 2003 a design team was recruited and began
holding monthly meetings. Design team members include the following: Deputy
Warden, Sandra Bundy, Reverend Valerie Dixon, Reverend Ellen Kennedy, retired
Dept of Correction counselor Ann Koletsky, United Way Info-Line counselor,
Allison Southworth, Reverend Diane Warley, Cherry Czuba and representatives from
New Life, Eleanor Bonafonte, Kathleen Flaherty, Geraldine Moriarty, Eleanor
Rickel. The design team developed four major goals: develop and implement a
pilot mentoring program, write a theoretically based “how-to” manual for faith
communities wishing to join the Epiphany network, conduct a two-day training
conference for faith communities working with ex-offenders, and provide initial
and ongoing support for faith communities joining the network. Dr. Bari Dworken,
UCONN Extension Educator, Organization Development conducted a strategic
planning process that assisted the design team in reviewing its goals and
objectives and also planning for the future.
How Faith Communities Can Support
Epiphany
Bridgeport
- Provide furnishings for apartment.
- Provide gift certificates to grocery stores, retail
stores or restaurants.
- Assist with move.
- Provide stationary and postage.
- Prepare baskets of personal care items.
- Provide personal support to mentors.
- Donate religious material, inspirational books, fiction,
DVDs, etc to the mentees.
- Knit scarves, hats or bed throws for the mentees.
- Develop a skill bank for the mentors to access needed
resources i.e. jobs, cooking instruction, resume writing etc.
- Provide bus tokens.
- Provide funds toward two months’ security deposit.
- Pray.
- Invite mentees to attend your faith community.
For further information on participating in the Calvary St.
George’s Church, Bridgeport pilot, initiating a mentoring project in your faith
community, contributing funds or support or serving on the design team call 203-333-5116 x 103.
An equal opportunity program
provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA,
Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326, W. Whitten Building, Stop Code 9410,
1400 Independence Ave, Southwest, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-
720-5964.
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