Event Info 
| Event Title: | The Prisoner’s Family Conference |
| Hosting Organization: | Community SOLUTIONS of El Paso |
| Starting Date: | 2009-02-26 |
| Ending Date: | 2009-02-27 |
| Event Fee: | |
| Fee Notes: | |
| Event Location: | Radisson Airport El Paso, Texas United States |
| Description: | The United States is infamous for its burgeoning prisons. Are we doing something wrong? What does this mean for our families? Our communities? · Over 2.5 million of our children have parents in prison · Almost all of them live in poverty · As many as 70% of them will become prisoners themselves These children and their families live among us as a "hidden population," suffering in silence as they sit invisibly right next to us in our schools and places of work and worship. The Prisoner’s Family Conference offers a distinct opportunity to develop awareness and increase understanding of the uniquely disturbing circumstances and crucial needs of The Prisoner’s Family. Conference Schedule* (List of Speakers Below) Wednesday – February 25, 2009 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. Early Arrivals Welcome & Registration Thursday – February 26, 2009 8:00 – 8:45 a.m. Registration & Welcome Packets 8:45 – 10:30 a.m. General Session - Continental Breakfast Welcome – El Paso Mayor John Cook Keynote – Joe R. Williams, Secretary, New Mexico Department of Corrections A Prison System That Values the Prisoner’s Family 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Networking Break Book & Literature Table Browsing 10:45 – 12:00 p.m. Breakout Workshop Sessions 12:00 – 1:45 p.m. General Session – Lunch Panel – Institutional Representatives: EPJPD; TDCJ; NMDOC 1:45 – 2:00 p.m. Networking Break 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. Breakout Workshop Sessions 3:15 – 3:30 p.m. Networking Break 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. Breakout Workshop Sessions 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Dinner on your own 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. General Session - Refreshments Networking For Change - Southwestern Style Facilitator - Ann Edenfield-Sweet 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. Entertainment – The Rubio Family Friday – February 27, 2009 8:00 – 8:45 a.m. Early Riser Networking Book & Literature Table Browsing 8:45 – 10:30 a.m. General Session - Continental Breakfast Keynote – Jay, Alison & Cecily Coleman One Family’s Response to Incarceration and Re-entry 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Networking Break 10:45 – 12:00 p.m. Breakout Workshop Sessions 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. General Session - Lunch Panel - Steering Committee Representatives & Open Discussion - Changing Attitudes for Needed Change 1:30 – 1:45 p.m. Networking Break 1:45 – 2:15 p.m. Breakout Workshop Sessions 2:15 – 2:30 Networking Break 2:30 – 3:45 General Session Keynote – Chuck Gallagher: “CHOICES” – Turning Negative Consequences Into Positive Results - (From One Who Has “Been There”) 3:45 – 5:30 Farewells to New & Old Friends Book & Literature Table Browsing Distribution of CEU’s Distribution of Attendance Certificates Drawing for Attendance Prizes (LIST OF WORKSHOPS & PRESENTERS BELOW) 16 CEU’s provided for full conference attendance only Registration Form Attached * Tentative Schedule – Subject to Change The Prisoner’s Family Conference Speakers & Workshop Facilitators Presentation Title Presenters & Brief Description A Family Systems Approach for Successful Reintegration Timme Pearson, LPC, CMFC addresses the critical significance of developing healthy family support for the prisoner’s successful completion of incarceration and reintegration into their community and family, based on her 30 years experience in the field of corrections. (Colorado) A Lifetime as The Child of a Prisoner Cecily Coleman was one when her dad went to prison. She was twenty-five when he returned. She often speaks on her life as the child of a prisoner; advocates for other children and trains many in positions of making decisions about children of prisoners. In 2006 she was awarded the Lewis Hine Award from the National Child Labor Committee and her father was there to see the honor. Cecily will share on being a lifer's child and daughter of parents who are still together despite all the years of separation. (New York) Faith, Family and Friends Representatives of the Texas Youth Commission: Rebecca Garza, Family Liaison Coordinator; Chaplain, John Stutz, Manager II of the Department of Chaplain Services; Marie Welsch, Ph. D., Re-Entry Support Services Manager and Winnie Currie, parent of a TYC youth discuss the services available for families of TYC youth and the importance of collaborative efforts from outside agencies to partner in helping the youth succeed in re-entry to their families and home communities. (Texas) Family Arrested: How to Survive the Incarceration of a Loved One Ann Edenfield-Sweet, Founder & Executive Director of Wings Ministry and Wings for L.I.F.E. – offering support and empowerment for the entire prisoner’s family; Author of “Family Arrested – Surviving the Incarceration of a Loved One.” From her personal experience with the incarceration of a loved one, Ms. Edenfield-Sweet provides insight into establishing and growing a ministry providing effective outreach and support to prisoners’ families. (New Mexico) Family Roles in Re-entry: Addiction & Relapse Prevention Eva Eberhardt, LMSW, CAC III Founder and Executive Director of ABC Counseling Center, Ft. Morgan, Colorado. With an extensive history of addiction counseling, most recently inside a prison for female offenders, Mrs. Eberhardt addresses the critical role of the family in the successful recovery process of the returning prisoner. (Colorado) Five Stages of Trauma for the Child and Family of a Prisoner & Approaches for Healing Carolyn Esparza, LPC, Founder & Executive Director of Community SOLUTIONS of El Paso serving children and families of prisoners; Author of “The Parenting Business: Hindsight is 20/20.” Speaking from over 30 years personal and professional experience, Ms. Esparza provides a powerful and insightful examination of the persistent detrimental effects incarceration of a family member produces for their children and families, as well as our communities, and offers a hopeful, yet realistic perspective on approaches for healing the resulting wounds. (Texas) General Session – Panel: Family Issues for Youthful Offenders & Issues for Prison Families Alberto Alvarez, Chief, El Paso Juvenile Probation Dept. Helen Carr Family Liaison for the New Mexico Department of Corrections. Kathy Cleere, Ombudsman for Family Services and Wanda Redding, the “Go Kids” representative from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. General Session: 25 Years and Counting: One Family’s Response to Incarceration and Re-entry. Jay Coleman served 25 years in New York State prisons for a non-violent crime. Through her own needs to survive the prison experience, his wife Alison created Prison Families of New York which has worked with tens of thousands of prison families as well as educators, ministries, advocates, health care providers and policy makers who have come to understand that progressive criminal justice must include the needs of prison families. Alison and Jay’s daughter, Cecily, a well-known advocate for children of prisoners, tells her story with humor, poignancy and a common-sense approach to working effectively with prisoners’ children. (New York) General Session: CHOICES: Turning Negative Consequences Into Positive Results Chuck Gallagher, Founder of Choices Foundation which provides scholarships for children of prisoners, shares in an unusually authentic style, the consequences of unethical decisions he made in his attempts to build the great American dream for himself and his family, and the process of successfully rebounding from his own incarceration experience . (Texas) General Session: One Prison System That Values The Prisoner’s Family Joe R. Williams, Secretary of Corrections for the New Mexico Department of Corrections relates his reasoning for assuring families of prisoners are valued by the prison system. (New Mexico) Kairos Outside: The Gift That Continues to Give Jo Chapman, Coordinator of Kairos Women’s Ministries and a panel of women who have attended Kairos Outside retreats, and continue to present to other women impacted by the incarceration of a family member offer insight for those wishing to provide female loved ones of prisoners a safe environment in which to interact with others who are in similar situations, and to learn how to develop small support groups that will strengthen them for the challenges they face. (California) Living with the Label: The Special Plight of the Sex Offender’s Family Susan Rupp, PhD, assistant professor, South Dakota State University, courageously and poignantly shares from her personal experience as the wife of an incarcerated sex offender, of the struggle toward recovery and healing from the unique trauma and relentless stigma experienced by the families of sex offenders. (South Dakota) Mentoring: An Emerging Best Practice for Children of Prisoners & Roadmaps, Blueprints and Children of Prisoners Representatives of Dare Mighty Things, Brian P. Sales and Angie Hess, providing technical support to Mentoring Children of Prisoners programs throughout the country, introduce a new voucher initiative for organizations serving children of prisoners. (Virginia) Olivia Eudaly, representing Amachi, an early pioneer in the mentoring children of prisoners initiative, shares the “real” story behind Amachi Texas to excite others to the opportunity to collaborate for the sake of children of prisoners. (Texas) Prison: Practical Challenges to Family Values Representatives of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children – San Francisco - Cassie Pierson, Staff Attorney; Robin Rederford, a formerly incarcerated parent; Sarita “Riri” Wilson, the daughter of a formerly incarcerated address issues affecting prisoners, former prisoners and their family members, including: child custody; visitation; obstacles to reentry; challenges of reintegration and effects of the Adoption and Safe Families Act on incarcerated parents and other family members. (California) Speaker: Welcoming Address El Paso Mayor John Cook – Mayor Cook has been a strong proponent of the work of Community SOLUTIONS of El Paso, which provides specialized services for children and families of prisoners. The Families RACE for Reentry Anne Gifford, representing Parents and Partners of Prisoners, of Colleyville, Texas. The workshop identifies major issues facing families of reentering offenders and introduces the RACE model, a concept that helps avoid disastrous reentry experiences by using a Biblical covenant to heal and empower a family broken by incarceration. (Texas) The Family Left Behind: Restorative Justice and Ministry to the Families of Offenders Roger W. Hollar, Pastor/Director of Mercy Heart, a ministry to families of inmates and ex-offenders located in Ft. Worth. This workshop explores a range of ministry and support services needed to facilitate restoring families and communities. (Texas) BONUS - Networking for Change – Southwestern Style! (Thursday Night) Facilitator: Ann Edenfield – Sweet – An evening activity promoting collaboration and cooperation to benefit the prisoner’s family, both serious and fun! Special Entertainment: The Rubio Family Conference Registration Form – ATTACHED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Conference Location Information Radisson Suite Hotel El Paso Airport 1170 Airway Blvd. El Paso, TX 79925 Phone 915.298.5125 Facsimile 915.298-5130 www.radisson.com/elpasotx A quarter mile of the El Paso International Airport, the Radisson provides free 24-hour shuttle service. A special room rate of $125.00 per night is being offered to conference attendees. The deadline for this special rate is: January 26, 2009. Mention The Prisoner’s Family Conference when making reservations. The Radisson offers: · Complementary High Speed Internet Services (No additional fee) · Complementary Hot Breakfast in Hotel Dining Room (Limit 2 per room) · Complementary Evening Manager’s Reception (Limit 2 per room) · Heated Indoor and Outdoor Pool and Spa · Rooms with Mini Refrigerator; Microwave & Coffee Station · Free Parking, etc. Local numbers for other accommodations within one mile of the Radisson: Marriot 915-779-3300 – 149.00 single room 1600 Airway Microtel 915-772-3650 – 68.95 single room 2001 Airway Hawthorne Inn & Suites 915-778-6789 – 129.00 single room; $149.00 suite 6789 Boeing (behind the Radisson) (Note: Suites provide 2 king sized beds; 1 pull out couch.) Guest House 915-772-0395 – 95.00 single room 1940 Airway Blvd For additional accommodations, please contact the City of El Paso Visitor Bureau: 915-534-0601 local or 800-351-6024 toll free. Visit the City of El Paso Visitor Bureau website for many interesting and fun-filled activities in this historic border city. http://www.visitelpaso.com/ Weather & What To Wear El Paso is called “The Sun City” as it boasts sunshine at least 305 days a year. February/March weather is typically mild with occasional windy days. The evening desert air can become quite cold. Bring a jacket if you plan to be out at night. Conference attire is casual. Jeans are very appropriate. If you are coming with a group, wear your organization’s logo shirts for everyone to get to know you. |
| Online Info: | http://www.solutionsforelpaso.org |
| PDF: | |
| Contact Information: |
Carolyn Esparza, LPC Executive Director Community SOLUTIONS of El Paso United States 915-861-7733 915-855-0602 Click to email |
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