betrayed_4_life
10-10-2004, 08:16 PM
Sterling group plans auction to help ex-cons
MARK HARRISON
KENAI — Bid on an autographed baseball or watercolor and keep an ex-con from returning to prison.
That's the hope of an auction of sports memorabilia, original art and a wide variety of other donated items to be held Friday night at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel.
The auction — called "A Night to Remember" — is being held to raise money to build a transitional living facility for men who are released from prison and have nowhere to live.
The event is being organized by Mercy Love Servants, the Sterling-based outreach arm of Ministry of the Living Stones, and its partners, Anchorage-based Alaska Correctional Ministries and Artists Against Hunger. The groups say little is being done to help people make the transition to the outside world once they are released from prison.
"It came to our attention the felons who were leaving the prison were pretty much given bus tokens and told to stay out of trouble," said Tina Wegener, an MLS administrator and an organizer of the event.
Without help or resources, many inmates fall into old habits, finding themselves back in jail. The problem is of particular concern in Alaska, whose recidivism rate is among the highest in the nation, Wegener said.
To help address the problem, MLS volunteers have been working with inmates enrolled in a pilot program at the state prison in Palmer.
The program, sponsored by Alaska Correctional Ministries, uses prayer and personal counseling to help the 35 men enrolled in the program.
Volunteers act as mentors who support the inmates while in prison, and have agreed to continue the relationship upon release, said Wegener.
The transitional living facility MLS and its partners hope to build in Palmer would give newly released inmates a place to live where they would be supported by others in the program and not be forced to make it on their own, Wegener said.
Expected to attend the Sheraton event are Bob Radovich and Nick Willhite, former players with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Burrell Jordan, who played in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons and now is a drug and alcohol consultant with the Denver Broncos.
Items to be auctioned off include autographed sports memorabilia, works by local and international artists, furniture, custom gift baskets and gift certificates for hotel stays, dinners, kayak trips and scenic boat tours.
MARK HARRISON
KENAI — Bid on an autographed baseball or watercolor and keep an ex-con from returning to prison.
That's the hope of an auction of sports memorabilia, original art and a wide variety of other donated items to be held Friday night at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel.
The auction — called "A Night to Remember" — is being held to raise money to build a transitional living facility for men who are released from prison and have nowhere to live.
The event is being organized by Mercy Love Servants, the Sterling-based outreach arm of Ministry of the Living Stones, and its partners, Anchorage-based Alaska Correctional Ministries and Artists Against Hunger. The groups say little is being done to help people make the transition to the outside world once they are released from prison.
"It came to our attention the felons who were leaving the prison were pretty much given bus tokens and told to stay out of trouble," said Tina Wegener, an MLS administrator and an organizer of the event.
Without help or resources, many inmates fall into old habits, finding themselves back in jail. The problem is of particular concern in Alaska, whose recidivism rate is among the highest in the nation, Wegener said.
To help address the problem, MLS volunteers have been working with inmates enrolled in a pilot program at the state prison in Palmer.
The program, sponsored by Alaska Correctional Ministries, uses prayer and personal counseling to help the 35 men enrolled in the program.
Volunteers act as mentors who support the inmates while in prison, and have agreed to continue the relationship upon release, said Wegener.
The transitional living facility MLS and its partners hope to build in Palmer would give newly released inmates a place to live where they would be supported by others in the program and not be forced to make it on their own, Wegener said.
Expected to attend the Sheraton event are Bob Radovich and Nick Willhite, former players with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Burrell Jordan, who played in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons and now is a drug and alcohol consultant with the Denver Broncos.
Items to be auctioned off include autographed sports memorabilia, works by local and international artists, furniture, custom gift baskets and gift certificates for hotel stays, dinners, kayak trips and scenic boat tours.