The Second Annual "Celebration of Hope" will be held at 7:15 this coming Friday night (5/3/2013) at The Experience Church (521 Old Salem Highway). It will honor the accomplishments of Project Braveheart, Doors of Hope, and the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center.
Doors of Hope and Project Braveheart are locally based non-profits that were founded to address the recidivism rate in Rutherford County.
Mentoring programs like Doors of Hope and Project Braveheart, a men’s initiative, have proven to be the most effective tool in reducing recidivism. Recidivism rates are normally as high as 67 per cent; recent research shows recidivism rates of clients who have been in our program at least one year are just under 9 per cent.
Correctional Work Center Superintendent Bernard Salandy, along with volunteers and graduates will give presentations.
Doors of Hope and Project Braveheart are locally based non-profits founded to address the recidivism rate in Rutherford County. Dedicated to providing Hope on the inside for Life on the outside, staffers teach small groups of men and women nearing release from the RCCWC. These men and women are non-violent offenders, seeking a better future. Each person is assigned a mentor to encourage, motivate, guide, and help find community resources for overwhelming challenges of the critical first year of re-entry.
Founder of Doors of Hope, Maridel Williams states, “The accomplishments we will celebrate may seem mundane, but to our clients they are far from mundane. For many of us, having a house to live in is a given; for a client who was homeless, obtaining a modest apartment is a major accomplishment. For many of us, enjoying our children is something we take for granted; for a woman who came close to losing her children to states custody forever, there is no greater joy than being reunited with those children.”
Maridel acknowledges, “Volunteers are the backbone of our success. Volunteers pledge to give mentoring and moral support to clients for the first year after incarceration, during which time the client is struggling to build a wholesome life, stay clean and sober, find work, rebuild relationships and face literally dozens of other challenges, many times with very little support. Volunteers provide encouragement through weekly mail, and sometimes necessities upon release form the RCCWC. Post release, Mentors help find community resources such as safe housing, job training, and transportation. This bridges the gap between where an ex-offender has been and where he or she needs to be.”
Tickets are $ 15, and are available at door or can be purchased in advance at the Doors of Hope at 302 E Vine Street. If you have questions, phone 615-653-8491.
