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First Parish in Concord: Social Action Grants Committee
Grant Request Cover Sheet
A. First Parish Sponsor
Name
Don Miller
Street Address
401 Rutland Street
City, State, Zip
Carlisle, MA 01741
Email Address
[email protected]
Date of Request
Are you a First Parish
Pledging Member?
Home Phone
Cell Phone
Describe your relationship to Grantee Organization
2-7-14
YES
978-610-6298
N.A.
Member of its Steering Committee, Nominating Committee, and Holiday Gift Bag Committee. Former Board member.
Former volunteer at MCI-Concord in the BEACON Program (emotional awa!eness); cUriently math tutor at the Farm .
B. Grantee Organization Information
Organization Name
Concord Prison Outreach
Contact Person
Carol Peters
Title
Executive Director
Street Address
P. O. Box 383, Concord , MA 01742*
Phone
978-369-8450
City, State, Zip
*Meetings held at W. Concord Union Church
Email Address
Ca rol@Concordprisonoutreach. 0 rg
Organization's Annual
Operating Budget
$40,515
FY 2014
Please describe the organization's mission
To reduce recidivism of prison inmates through the provision of educational and personal development programs by
volunteers . CPO's slogan is: "Helping prepare today's inmates to become tomorrow's good neighbors." Our work
also helps inmates to believe_i~~mselves, to believe that a better future is possible.
C. Grant Request Overview
Goals of project for
which grant is requested
Briefly describe the
Target Population.
How many people will be
affected?
Describe the Geographic
Location of Project
We seek financial support for the FY 2014 operating budget upon which all CPO
programs depend .
Primarily the inmates of the two prisons in Concord . Small CPO volunteer programs are
also at prisons in Shirley and Pondville.
Approximately 1675 inmates are served in
nfa (if not applicable, describe other
one way or another.
measurable goals in grant narrative.
The primary prisons are both located in the Town of Concord, but the inmates come
from many cities and towns in Massachusetts.
$40,515 for FY 2014
Grant Request Amount
$2500.
I
I
Total Project Budget
OTHER faith communities
Please List Other
Funding Sources
Individuals
(FY 2014 budget)
Businesses and other
To whom should award check should be made payable?
-
--
- -
$14,000
$15,000
$ 1,000
I Concord Prison Outreach, I~
._ _ _
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D. First Parish Involvement
List First Parish members
involved in project
Michael Krupa and Linda Reynolds, CPO Board; Don Miller and Jonathan Hoch, * CPO
Steering Committee. CPO Volunteers: Carolyn Shohet, Dick Shohet, Susan Ellsworth,
Priscilla Smith, Petra Betts, Alice Kaufman, Bev Bringle, Michael Krupa, Linda Reynolds,
Jonathan Hoch, Don Miller and others.
(* J. Hoch is a friend of First Parish.)
Describe any other First
Parish connections
First Parish was instrumental in the establishment of Concord Prison Outreach.
Member Diana Clymer was the first Executive Director of CPO.
Has organization or project received previous support (in all forms) from First Parish?
If so, please describe
I X Yes
First Parish has provided annual funding for Concord Prison Outreach for many years.
The WPA donates money annually to the Holiday Gift Bag Project.
Application to First Parish in Concord
From Concord Prison Outreach
History. Since the late 1800s, people of First Parish have provided volunteer services
to inmates incarcerated in their town . Initially they volunteered in the brick building
which has expanded to become MCI-Concord, then also at Northeastern Correctional
Center ("NECC" or "the farm") when it was created across the rotary. In 1986, First
Parish was instrumental in the establishment of Concord Prison Outreach (CPO), a
non-profit organization creating a single, direct link between the Department of
Correction on the one hand and the area's faith communities and volunteers on the
other. This link facilitates effective volunteer programs through program development,
recruitment of volunteers, and clear communication with the administration of the
prisons.
The Mission of Concord Prison Outreach is to reduce inmate recidivism through the
development and delivery of educational and personal growth programs. Our activities
also help inmates to believe in themselves, to believe that a better future is possible for
them -- and to know that they are not forgotten, that there are ordinary people in the
area who treat them respectfully wish them well.
Over the years, CPO has worked with Concord's prisons to create a diverse array of
volunteer programs, some large, serving many inmates, and some small, meeting
specific needs and interests . A signature program called "BEACON" (for "Behavior,
~motions , gIld Changing Oneself') helps inmates understand and work with their
emotions and behavior. Over a 12-week term, the inmates examine their lives and
behavior through course work, meditation, anger management, text book readings,
group discussions, and optional short writing assignments each week. Many
hundreds of inmates have participated in this program, and others continue today.
Other active programs teach non-violent communication skills; tutor in reading or
math or English-as-a-second language; teach computer skills; assist in preparation for
the GED exam; help fathers improve their relationships with their children; engage
them in book discussions; teach job search skills; and many others - about two dozen
programs at anyone time.
A Creative, Evolving Force. CPO is a creative , constantly-evolving force for
improving volunteer services in the Concord prisons , and sometimes it improves
volunteer services in other prisons in the state. Three examples: (1) Carol Peters has
trained new leaders of the BEACON program who have then carried it to at least four
other state prisons, usually with seed money from CPO for course materials. (2) First
Parish members Dick Shohet and Michael Krupa began a book discussion group at
the Sousa Baranowski Maximum Security Unit at the prison complex in Shirley. That
program continues to this day. (3) For the past two years, members of the Middlesex
County Prison Coordinating Committee , a group which volunteers at the Billerica
House of Correction , has attended CPO meetings seeking new ideas, new energy, and
additional volunteers. One of its members is now on the CPO board.
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..Hey. I mean, they did the crime . ... " Some ask, "With all the needs in our
society and beyond, why help prison inmates? A key point is this: Almost all prison
inmates will eventually be discharged back to society at the end of their sentence. Do
we want them to return to a life of crime when they are released? Or do we see the
possibility of their gaining new skills, attitudes, and self-respect which may, for some,
lead to a productive, law-abiding life? When inmates are changed in positive ways,
their families and their communities benefit. And so do we all.
Proposal. Concord Prison Outreach requests a grant of $2500.00 to support the
operating budget of CPO in fiscal year 2014. Of the total budget of $40,515.00, about
60% is budgeted for three part-time positions: the executive director, an assistant
director, and an administrative assistant. The remainder is budgeted for books and
other program materials, for administrative expenses, and for the portion of the
holiday gift bag project not covered by earmarked donations.
Impact. In the last fiscal year ending September 30, 2013 there were 116 CPO prison
volunteers who provided 4790 hours of service, mostly in the two Concord prisons.
We believe that these services make a positive difference in many inmates' lives, but
scientific data showing they cause a reduction in recidivism are not available.
However, the Department of Correction believes in the value of volunteer services, and
it shows it by the resources it devotes. A significant portion of the work of the Director
of Treatment at each prison is devoted to coordinating the inside-the-prison aspects of
volunteer services. Other staff are assigned to the provision of extra security,
registration of inmates for programs, and record-keeping. The superintendent and/ or
his deputies meet with CPO representatives at least quarterly to discuss ways to
improve the program, and they communicate with the CPO executive director often.
Conclusion. Concord Prison Outreach greatly appreciates, and relies upon, the
financial support of First Parish. Indeed, such support from faith communities
constitutes about half the revenues which make CPO possible. CPO serves very needy
people who currently reside in the Town of Concord, but who come mostly from other
parts of the state, particularly portions of cities where poverty and a culture of crime
are powerful forces. Arranging nearly 5000 hours of volunteer services each year, CPO
is a dependable, ongoing force for social change. But it is also a creative, evolving
source of new ideas and new programs, including some which it helps to establish in
other prisons. As a proud member of both First Parish and CPO, I hope tradition of
substantial financial support from First Parish will continue in 2014 and beyond.
Thank you.
Don Miller
Pledging-and Paying Member of First Parish in Concord
978-610-6298 or [email protected]
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