Mount Vernon, NY – The Station of Hope Prison Ministry at Grace Baptist Church (52 S. Sixth Avenue), will be hosting the second annual Re-Entry Resource Fair, Friday, April 22. The Re-Entry Resource Fair will bring together resources from Westchester and New York City to educate communities about the importance of stabilizing returning citizens upon release; to reduce crime, create taxpaying citizens and build strong families with faith-based values. The Station of Hope ministry believes these tenets should be the cornerstone of successful re-entry.
While more than 7 million people are in the custody of the U.S justice system, close to 3 million are mandated to community supervision whether it is on parole or probation. The main takeaway is that most of the people sentenced to federal and state prison will one day return home to our communities.
The Re-Entry Resource Fair will include:
- Free admission, free food, free professional clothes, free childcare and free transportation from the #2 and #5 trains for NYC residents traveling up by mass transportation;
- Exhibit Hall with vendors from major re-entry non-profit organizations as well as local, state and federal agencies;
- Workshops in legal, housing, health and self-sufficiency facilitated by the Legal Aid Society of Westchester, Bronx Defenders, Bureau of Prisons, NYCHA, Housing Works, Montefiore Hospital and NYC HRA, to name a few;
- NARCAN Training to help the public respond to an opioid overdose using Naloxone presented by the Westchester Department of Health;
- Everything Employment Event which includes an Employment Expo featuring workshops and training sessions presented in conjunction with the Bronx Clergy Criminal Justice Roundtable; Job Readiness Coaching presented in conjunction with the Westchester Putnam One-Stop Employment Center and an Employer Networking Reception presented in conjunction with WestHab.
Heavily driven by the galvanization of resources, the Station of Hope Prison Ministry of Grace Baptist Church is creating a community in Mount Vernon that will embrace returning citizens who want to “press the restart button on life” and simply need the tools to do so.
“This re-entry initiative provides opportunity for us to fulfill the mandates of our ministry and embrace the promise of our community by helping to provide stability to those who are seeking the best potential that their lives can offer. We are excited about being their partners,” says W. Franklyn Richardson, Senior Pastor of Grace Baptist Church.
“To get many of these re-entry providers in the same room is no small feat. We are simply the vehicle to help people with criminal justice involvement get on their feet,” says Station of Hope Ministry Leader, Jennifer Lackard.
Individuals interested in attending should register at www.reentryresource.com or by calling 646-883-HOPE.
Click images below to see full flyer (front and back)
AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief of Black Westchester and Co-Owner of Urban Soul Media Group, the parent company, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show. AJ is a Father, Brother, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Hip-Hop Artist - one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist whose byline has appeared in several print publications and online sites including The Source, Vibe, the Village Voice, Upscale, Sonicnet.com, Launch.com, Rolling Out Newspaper, Daily Challenge Newspaper, Spiritual Minded Magazine, Word Up! Magazine, On The Go Magazine and several others.
