One of the most important aspects of this website is a public outreach to find additional mentors for our Transformees. If you have come to this page then you are probably part of a group interested in joining us as a mentors in the project. First of all, thank you so much for your interest. Groups like yours can make such a difference in the lives of our Transformees.
Before you proceed, there are some things you need to know. There are numerous prison pen-pal sites out there and while you will be corresponding with an inmate this is NOT a pen-pal program. The initial correspondence is only the introductory part of what has to be a committed relationship that extends beyond their release from prison. In fact, that’s one of the most crucial aspects of this project. This is about breaking the cycle of loneliness that keeps drawing the released inmates back to the friends and activities that lead them to whatever illegal activity landed them in prison, in the first place. There are exceptions but the vast majority will be drug addiction and the criminal activity that goes hand-in-hand with supporting that addiction. Your relationship is central to achieving the foundational principle of this project and that is they can never look back. Once released, if they don’t have someone to turn to when they are tempted (and they will be), due to the desperation that the loneliness brings, they are very likely to turn back to those friends and repeat the terrible cycle of addiction and probably end up back in prison. It’s a story that has tragically repeated itself far too often.
As they work through the 12 step program, they need a sponsor which is always someone who has been through the addiction themselves but has conquered it. It’s a critical relationship but very different in substance from what we are creating here. We want them to have a sober friend(s) that will help them with the transition, provide moral support as they start their new life and just provide someone they can turn to. You will be very surprised how intimate that relationship will become, even to the point where you have a genuine love for your Transformee. Because we go to great lengths to find only those inmates who have had a genuine change of heart and want a normal life and are willing to really own their mistakes and put them behind them, you will find that deep humility heart-warming and you won’t be able to help yourself from becoming attached. It is a rich and rewarding experience and there are so many more in prison than we can possibly help so we are grateful you are willing to consider joining us in this project. We refer to the overall mission as a “project” but it’s important that you not view your Transformee as a “project” but as a friend. Someone whose success matters to you and they can eventually develop a trust in you so they willing and able to lean on you when they need. Those who have already gone through this have all said that having that friend to turn to has meant more to them than they can describe.
One crucial rule, this is not about money or financial support. We want anyone to participate whether their financial resources are abundant or lean. There are those in prison who are anything but repentant and will want to “game” this project for money so one of our most important guidelines is that we provide no direct financial assistance while they are still in prison and limited support through getting them some necessities they lack when they are released, but even then it should not be cash support. Adding a financial dependency changes the nature of the relationship in destructive ways and weakens one of the most critical parts of their recovery and that is accountability. It does not benefit them if you “do it for them”. We have procedures in place for emergency funds when the situation warrants, but we require them to reimburse that fund to keep with those principles of accountability. If you want to contribute financially to the project, we appreciate that. We have to keep our day jobs and there are rapidly growing expenses associated with this. Click here to CONTRIBUTE.
Submitting your organization as a prospective mentor group implies acceptance of the above guidelines. We are currently refining the mechanics of getting qualified inmates for our program so you may have a small wait until we can provide you some profiles to choose from but submit your name and be patient, we’ll get back to you via email with the next steps as soon as we have some names. Once this gets started we hope the word will spread quickly. Since you’re signing up as a group, we need only the contact info for who will be considered the primary contact.
Use the following form to enter your contact information. All fields are required and our privacy policy is simple. Your information will never be used for commercial purposes and will only be shared with those who need it for carrying out the mission of this project and who have agreed to respect that policy. You also agree that if you are ever given access to someone else’s contact info from the project that you too will respect that policy.
Please provide a very succint name for your group or organization and then use the description to provide additional details of clarification.