Santiam Correctional Institution made in-prison family art event possible, creations contributed to Brilliant Rubbish Fundraiser auction on April 8^th.

Salem, OR – March 28, 2011 – On Saturday evening March 26^th, 4 inmates, their collective 16 children and 5 caregivers participated in a family art night at Santiam Correctional Institution (SCI).  SCI and Department of Corrections (DOC) staff worked with Mid Valley Mentors over the past several months to make this unique event possible.

Mid Valley Mentors hosts an annual fundraiser to support its free mentoring programs that serve children and adults affected by incarceration.  This fundraiser, titled “Brilliant Rubbish” features art made from recycled materials among other items in their auction.  “Engaging inmates and their families in the creation of art allowed us to give them an opportunity to spend quality time together.  Maintaining relationships with parents during incarceration is important for healthy parent-child relationships after release from prison,” explained Suzanne Jorgensen, Communications Director at Mid Valley Mentors. “The art they produced also gives us a platform to share our mission with the community, by sharing this experience with our supporters; we can easily illustrate the essence of our mission.”

“We were happy to collaborate with Mid Valley Mentors on this effort,” Sam Villagomez, Transition Services Manager at Santiam Correctional Institution, “we believe in Mid Valley Mentors’ mission and thought it was a win-win opportunity to engage with a local nonprofit while giving our inmates an opportunity to connect with their children.”

The art projects included 2 large mosaic posters with recycled objects attached to the surface, collage picture frames, painted vases, pen and pencil holders made from tin cans and fabric remnants, and a salvaged magazine holder with a multi-colored decoupage.

The children ranged in age from 4 to 17 years old and were accompanied by their mothers and grandmothers.  SCI staff assisted with the art creation and supervised the visit.  Mid Valley Mentors staff Suzanne Jorgensen and Katie Haglund planned and facilitated the art projects.

Brilliant Rubbish Fundraiser Details:
Friday April 8, 2011 5:00 – 8:00 PM  at Mission Mill Museum, The Spinning Room
Tickets available online at:  http://midvalleymentors.org/brilliantrubbish Or Call: 503-584-4827
Special Guests Include:  Dave Sweeney (master of ceremonies), Dave Dahl of Dave’s Killer Bread (guest speaker), Singer Song-writer Mark Seymour (musical entertainment)

Presenting Sponsor:  US Bank   Gold Sponsor: Portland General Electric
Silver Sponsors: Les Schwab Tires, NW Natural, Salem Electric
Bronze Sponsors: Covanta Energy Corporation, Kuebler Learning Center, Rural Metro Ambulance,
The Lulay Group

About Mid Valley Mentors

Mid Valley Mentors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that has provided mentoring services to Marion and Polk counties since 2004. Mid Valley Mentors recruits, trains and matches volunteer mentors with youth affected by incarceration through its Juvenile Enrichment through Mentoring program and formerly incarcerated adults through its Reentry Solutions Program as part of the Marion County Reentry Initiative.  Mid Valley Mentors is dedicated to engaging system-involved individuals in programs that educate, motivate and empower participants to create a positive life for themselves.

For more information, please visit www.MidValleyMentors.org.

Mid Valley Mentors Media Contact:
Suzanne Jorgensen Suzanne@midvalleymentors.org 503-584-4827

Santiam Correctional Institution Media Contact:
Susi Hodgin Susi.A.Hodgin@DOC.State.OR.US 503-378-5558  x259

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People participate in the dedication ceremony for Mid-Valley Mentors' new Mentor Activity & Resource Center on Friday. / Thomas Patterson | Statesman Journal

Sunday February 13, 2011 Statesman Journal by, Timm Collins

Organization plans expansion of resources, services for youth and adults

With a few words of thanks and a swipe of Salem Area Chamber of Commerce’s official scissors, a new activity center for Mid Valley Mentors opened Friday.

The Mentor Activity & Resource Center at 3878 Beverly Ave. NE, Building H, Suite 19, is more than twice the size of the space the group used to occupy in the IKE Box downtown.

“The feedback from our volunteers since the opening of the original mentor center in 2009 has been that it is a valuable resource that needs to be expanded,” said executive director Sarah Spinks. “This new space will enable us to increase the types of resources available to volunteers and clients.”

Mid Valley Mentors has recruited, trained and matched volunteer mentors with youth affected by incarceration since in Marion and Polk counties since 2004 and added an adult program in 2009.

The center is a resource for all Mid Valley Mentors’ volunteers and clients. The center plans to have activities such as movie nights, creative workshops, gaming tournaments and more.

It has a computer room and other resources that Spinks hopes will enable volunteer-client “matches” to work on college applications, career explorations, résumés or homework together.

“The goal is to provide a variety of options to fit each match’s interests and needs,” Spinks said.

She said the center currently has about 60 mentors working in the Juvenile Enrichment through Mentoring program and another 60 taking part in its Reentry Solutions Program as part of the Marion County Reentry Initiative.

With the additional space, Spinks said that number is bound to increase.

“The goal is to get up to 150 mentors helping both kids and other adults.”

tdcollins@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6750 or at twitter.com/TimmCollinsSJ

The Center is located at 355 Pine Street NE and will be open Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., beginning January 31, 2011. Staffing includes a Center Coordinator, Case Manager, Office Support and a Navigator, to help guide individuals through their transition process. In addition, community partners are invited to have staff office hours at the Center. Currently, these partners include Chemeketa Community College, WorkSource Oregon, Marion County Parole and Probation, and Mid-Valley Mentors.

Services provided at the Center include:
· Employment assistance
· Education/self improvement classes
· Housing assistance
· Legal help
· Help with substance abuse recovery
· Health/Mental Health
· Basic needs referrals (food, clothing, transportation, etc.)

The Center welcomes volunteers and community involvement. Please contact Craig Bazzi, Center Coordinator at 503-990-7370, if you would like to help give people a second chance or if you would simply like to visit the Center.  A list of needs is also attached, for your consideration.  Folding tables and stackable chairs for the meeting room are the greatest current need, along with stools for the counter-height computer lab work stations.

Pine Street Resource Center Staff,

Craig Bazzi, Resource Center Coordinator, craig.bazzi@mvwcaa.org
Diane Rivera, Transitions Services Specialist/Case Manager, diane.rivera@mwvcaa.org
Transition Services Navigator (soon to be announced)
355 Pine St. NE
Phone: 503-990-7370

For more information about the Marion County Reentry Initiative, visit www.MarionCountyReentry.com.

Speakers include Marion County Commissioner Janet Carlson, Oregon State Senator Jackie Winters, Oregon Department of Corrections Director Max Williams, Supreme Court Justice W. Michael Gillette, and Salem/Keizer Business Leader Dick Withnell.  This engaging and inspiring breakfast will focus on changing lives while building a safer community by coming together to learn about issues and barriers faced by adults reentering Marion County following incarceration.

“We are so pleased with the success of reentry programs,” said Commissioner Janet Carlson.  “This year 54 participants will complete the Student Opportunity for Achieving Results (SOAR) program and we expect another 100 to graduate in the next year.  Through this event, we will share our successes and help people understand how they can make a difference through mentoring and other assistance,” she added.

More than 600 inmates are released into Marion County communities each year.  48% of those released are immediately homeless, 60-70% have a substance abuse problem, and most have no transportation. More than 70% are parents.

The Marion County Reentry Initiative is a collaborative effort involving community corrections, education, law enforcement and non-profit agencies working together to rebuild lives, promote community safety and save taxpayer money by breaking the cycle of criminal activity.  The initiative helps those reentering society by giving them access to opportunities for assistance with housing, employment, job skills development, mentoring, transportation, and treatment for mental health and addiction barriers.

For more information about the event, contact Sara McDonald at (503) 584-4740 or visit  www.MarionCountyReentry.com.

Contact: Sara McDonald, Senior Policy Advisor, (503) 584-4740 or
Jolene Kelley, Public Information Officer, (503) 566-3937

By Ruth Liao • Statesman Journal • April 17, 2010

For Charles Walker, it was a hard adjustment to be released from prison and consider his next options. Then came an opportunity to attend a program at Chemeketa Community College. Surrounded with peer support from other offenders, Walker felt he was more prepared.

“The camaraderie, the helping, the encouragement — it was like no tomorrow,” said Walker, 40, of Salem.

Walker was among the first graduates of SOAR, which stands for Student Opportunities Achieving Results.

The program is an amalgam of several partners, including Chemeketa Community College, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Health Department and Mid-Willamette Community Agency Agency, a nonprofit agency that provides an umbrella of social services.

Friday’s ceremony celebrated the success of 22 SOAR participants. The program began last January with 30 people. It is expected to serve 100 people this year.

Some participants have acquired their general educational development, or GED, proficiency, some have enrolled in Chemeketa programs and some have found jobs, said Ron Bassett-Smith, Chemeketa’s chief operations officer.

“We know that significant change requires courage and strength,” Bassett-Smith told the graduates.

All of the graduating participants completed 12 weeks of the program, which used evidence-based curriculum on topics such as parenting, substance-abuse treatment and motivational thinking. Participants also are paired with mentors.

Ideas for the SOAR program were hatched about two years ago by Marion County Commissioner Janet Carlson and Chemeketa president Cheryl Roberts. Kimberly Allain, who served as a facilitator for one of the SOAR programs, also joined in the early conversations.

The SOAR program is modeled after a Washington program, as well as adding evidence-based curriculum, Carlson said.

Carlson said the program fosters relationships between parole and probation officers and ex-offenders — an important bond.

“It’s not so much the books and classroom,” she said. “It’s the human connections these folks get.”

Hubbard resident Mickie Bowman was proud of her grandson, one of the SOAR graduates.

Bowman said she appreciated that the program was at Chemeketa Community College so he could be in a campus environment and consider school again.

“I’m happy that my grandson could get his foot in the door,” she said.

Bowman said she had asked her grandson if he’d go back to his “old ways.”

His reply?

” ‘No, I’ve learned too much,’ ” Bowman said. “I felt great.”

Bowman said she appreciated that the SOAR program invited family members to sit in on some of the “family night” events. The night before, Bowman helped bring in refreshments for their last class.

“I just felt they deserved it,” she said. “They earned it.”

rliao@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 589-6941