PRESS RELEASE - September 30, 1999
Contacts:
Paul Gerald, Media Relations (503) 239-7324 or gerald@betterpeople.org
Chip Shields, Exec. Director (503) 281-2663 or chipshie@spiritone.com
On the web betterpeople.org
From the Jailhouse to the Workplace:
13 Citizens Graduate as Better People
On Thursday, September 30, 13 Portland-area residents were formally recognized as Better People, not just better workers.
In a ceremony before a large and enthusiastic audience at Lutheran Inner City Ministries, 4219 NE MLK Blvd., they graduated from the Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) program offered by Better People, a privately-funded, nonprofit offender program whose mission is to dramatically reduce recidivism (offenders returning to crime) in Multnomah County.
Nearly a hundred people attended Better People's first-ever MRT graduation ceremony on March 30, including Oregon State Representative Jo Ann Bowman. Among the attendees this time were Metro Commissioner David Bragdon and representatives of the Black United Fund of Oregon, one of Better People's founding sponsors.
These 13 graduates have literally gone from the jailhouse to the workplace as a result of their participation in Better People's 12-Step MRT program. Once they were offenders, and all of them spent time in prison. Now they are working for at least $8 per hour plus health benefits.
Here is an excerpt from a graduate's written testimonial from the March 30 ceremony:
"I am a 24-year-old single mother in recovery, and it is time for me to make a better life for me and my son. There was a point where I lost control over the crime and the drugs, and they gained control over me. When I started (MRT) I was on welfare, living with others, and not happy. Now I have a good paying job, a management position, have my own car and apartment, and am truly happy."
For more, read graduate John Smith's testimonial from the ceremony.
If you'd like to find out more about how to get involved in Better People's program, click here.
