Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Aug. 30, 2012, edition 1 / Page 7
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The Chronicle August 30, 20 I 2 A7 Program offers inmates rare quality time with their kids by LAYLA GARMS TOP CHRONICLE Before Saturday, Stanley Reaves had not laid eyes on his nine year-old son Josiah since being incarcerated more than four years ago. \^en the boy stepped into the gymna sium at Maple Springs United Methodist Church, Reaves, an inmate at Forsyth Correctional Center on Craft Drive, said he was at a loss for words. “It was exhilarating,” he later con fessed. “I was at a standstill for a moment.” Missing so much of his son’s child hood because of his own mistakes has been difficult, said Reaves, who is serving a seven-year sentence on habitual felon charges. The two were brought together through Forsyth Jail and Prison Ministries’ Fun with the Father program. The half-day event included a slate of activities for inmates and their children, everything from games and arts and craft projects, to Josiah’s personal favorite: making paper airplanes. The day offered the men a rare oppor tunity to spend time with their children off the prison grounds. The inmates earned the privilege by completing Courageous, a five-week program centered around then- roles as Christian husbands, fathers and men. They also had to remain infraction free within the facility for the duration of the program. At the end of the last Courageous session last week, the inmates took a pledge to be Courageous men and uphold the values they’d honed during the program. “(The program) changed my thinking. For a long time, my thinking was distorted and it made me miss what’s most impor tant in my life, which is him and Sierra,” Reaves said, referring to Josiah and his 21 year-old daughter. “...That’s part of my rehabilitation. That’s part of restoring me to sanity. That’s what the Ministry does. It keeps clarity upstairs.” Tim Key, a self employed lawn care and handy man and longtime FJPM volun teer, facilitated the weekly Courageous Photos by Skip Archer Bruce Dunlap poses with his daughter, Mykia, and Stanley Reaves poses with son, Josiah. sessions at the minimum security correc tional facility. Seeing the men reap the rewards of all their hard work during Fun with the Father was rewarding for him, said Key, who also leads the nine month long Disciple Bible Study program at the prison. “It’s kind of like the pot of gold (at the end of a rainbow),” he remarked. “After investing that time in the guys, I get to see the end result.” Thomasville native Bruce Dunlap said his 10 year-old daughter Mykia comes to the prison almost every week to visit him. But visits within the facihty have time lim its and prohibit the inmates from hugging or holding their children except at the beginning and end of visits. Saturday’s event had no such restrictions. Dunlap took full advantage of the unrestricted quality time. “This is real special. I am really enjoy ing it so far,” commented Dunlap, who is serving a five and a half year sentence for drug trafficking. “When we have our weekly visits, it’s only two hours, but this is a little longer and we get to bond a little more.” Mykia, a self-described “daddy’s girl,” said she had looked forward to the day for some time. The best part? “I get to spend time with my daddy and play games,” she said with a wide smile. Forsyth Correctional Center Superintendent Benita Witherspoon said she found it refreshing to see the men out side the confines of prison. “They probably have to be very manly in the facility, but here, you see the softer side,” she said. “I see them lifting weights, but here, they’re lifting children up. It’s pretty good to see them taking on that role.” The Ministry launched Fun with the Father three years ago as a means of main- taing the fragile bonds of parenthood for the men who are serving time, explained Chaplain Tejado Hanchell, pastor of Mount Calvary Holy Church. “I think the main thing is connecting the fathers and their kids. Incarceration does something to the individual, but in many respects, the entire family’s doing the time,” said the father of two. “ Eighty-five percent of men in prison came from a fatherless home. We want to break the cycle, and we beheve one of the ways to break that cycle is to focus on fathers.” Strengthening the familial bonds and support networks on the outside means the men who take part in the program are less likely to reoffend, explained the Nassau, Bahamas native. For Reaves, an alumnus of Glenn High School, the event presented a long overdue opportunity to turn the page of his check ered history and look to the future with unprecedented clarity. “It’s a fresh start,” declared the 41 year-old. “That’s what it means to me.’ For more information about Forsyth Jail & Prison Ministries initiatives or to contribute to the organization, visit www.forsythjpm.org or call (336) 759- 0063. WFU Devin Williams from page A1 Harris, the oldest of three children, launched his college career by learning about his future alma mater’s history and traditions at the school’s Deacon Camp, which was held prior to freshmen Move- In Day on Aug. 23, The group toured the school’s original campus in Wake Forest, N.C, visited important local landmarks such as BB&T Field and even met President Nathan Hatch, who accepted Harris’ offer to follow him on Twitter. “It’s just cool to have the pres ident on the social network ing sites to fol low me back,” he said. Incoming freshman Mankaprr Conteh hopes to become a journalist or investigator for an interna tional news outlet such as CNN , “I care a lot about interna tional issues because my fam ily is from Sierra Leone,” explained the Wisconsin native. “...I am always aware of the disparities between my life and the life of a Sierra Leonean child, and that’s what I want my career to help change.” Conteh, an actress, singer and dancer who has graced many stages in her hometown of Bear, Del., said she hopes to start her own nonprofit organ ization someday. Her father returned to the West African nation after being laid off from his job as a research chemist two years ago and, because Conteh, an only child, landed a Presidential Scholarship to cover the cost of her education, her mother will soon be able to join her father in Sierra Leone. A strong proponent of community service, incoming freshman Devin Williams took advantage of the school’s SPARC (Students Promoting Action and Responsibility in the Community) pre-orienta tion program, a four-day blitz that introduces incoming stu dents to the city through a variety of community service initiatives. “SPARC was amazing,” said Williams. “It let me kind of feel and touch the different kinds of community service opportunities that are out there.” On the school’s official Move-In Day, 100 jersey-clad student athletes were deployed to help haul boxes, furniture, televi sions and anything else the incoming class needed in preparation for the first day of classes on Aug. 29. The incoming class is 25 percent minori ty. Of that figure, seven percent are black. By the time their classmates converged on campus amid a flurry of activ ity Friday, Williams said she and many of the hundreds of other smdents who took part in pre-orientation programs were aheady beginning to set tle in. “It looks like such an over whelming scene but I just feel so content and relaxed because I already see familiar faces,” the Ashbum,Va. native said. Williams, the oldest of three children, says she became acquainted with Wake Forest through Dr. Maya Angelou, a famed poet, WHJ professor and close family friend. Williams, who dreams of becoming a television writer or producer, said the school’s strong athletic pro gram was an added bonus for her. “Wake Forest gives you the best of both worlds. You have the small class sizes but the big ACC sports,” she remarked. “...It was really exciting for me to be able to come to the school, and if I ever need a home cooked meal, I can call Auntie Maya.” WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY ummm Continuing Education Courses for Working Professionals ■ Accounting ■ Personal Finance ■ Six Sigma ■ Entrepreneurship ■ Leadership ■ Commercial Real Estate ■ Human Resource Development Test Prep Academy ■ For GRE, GMAT and SAT ' ' , ■ Certified, experienced instructors ■ Textbook and access to online practice included Over 500 Online Courses ■ For personal and professional development WINSTON SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE & LIFELONG LEARNING For more information: www.wssu.edu/cess or call 336-750-3410 b H 5.. >, 7:00 pm Siskop. ^Pi.a£niLii ~ ■ c^ikjo'id eSandex^i.*z Sv&nLn^ eSchi. 5i^-6lk » z 4^ ^ M Union Baptist Church 1200 N. Trade Street Winston-Salem, NC Please Call 336-724-9^05 www.unionbaptistwsnc.org Wednesda5?y September 5th Noon Day Jamboree' Evening Worship 6:00 pm .Saoit - 'C/iterhiruf 7:00 pm CkaxUs. SootR ■ s4f£n in Jlta.Air.ship Thursday, September 6tb. Noon Day cA/etzs. fS. cJ\. ■.^iVJtrrzi.aLS, 4^0.^ (Do AiztiattI Evening Worship 6:00 pm 25y. A’wtt - ‘■J&zLn.q 7:00 pm Scekit, ■ iPxnaaki.nej, kke. Chejin . '’7'cy ^
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Aug. 30, 2012, edition 1
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