I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who donated to my non-profit New Beginnings-Next Step in 2023! Your ongoing support is making a real difference in the lives of the men we work with. In the past year, New Beginnings-Next Step has had some exciting developments, including:
–The formation of a second weekly peer support group at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution. This group is run by an entirely new volunteer team (in 20 years, this is the first time we’ve sponsored a group in which I am not directly involved. I realized that we needed to move beyond my personal participation in every group if we are to meet future challenges).
– The introduction of a new group facilitator who himself was a former New Beginnings member and did thirteen years in prison. He now goes back inside with us each week to help men prepare for the challenges of freedom. This man is a hero and powerful symbol of hope to our incarcerated members. (I hope someday to have many more returning citizens on our volunteer teams. This represented a big change in DOC policy which took me years of lobbying to bring about.)
– The approval by the new warden in Georgetown, DE to begin a New Beginnings group at the Sussex Correctional Institution. Also, recently three returning citizens who had each just competed extremely long prison sentences were recently “flowed down” or fast-tracked for early completion of probation. When asked why, their Probation Officers sited weekly attendance at our Next Step meetings as indication of the men’s serious intent to make a fresh start. Word about us is evidently getting around.Your donations helped us provide weekly bus passes and grocery store gift-cards, as well as other special-needs items, to our returning citizen members. I hope you will continue to follow and support the work of New Beginnings-Next Step as we continue our fight against recidivism by accompanying men from incarceration to freedom. We believe people change because of relationships. You help us make these relationships possible.
Much love,
