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Community Service Providers receive EMPOWER Award for helping inmates transition into society
By Wyoming Department of Corrections
Published: 02/23/2017

Cheyenne – Two Wyoming Community Service Providers were recently honored by the Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) for their commitment to the state’s offender population.

Roy Howell of Bethel Outreach Ministries in Cheyenne and Dave Matthews of the Wyoming Rescue Mission in Casper were the recipients of WDOC’s First Annual EMPOWER Award, which stands for “Empowering, Motivating and Providing Offenders With Excellence in Reentry.”

Each year WDOC will accept nominations and then select two community service providers who have gone above and beyond in assisting Wyoming inmates re-enter society upon release from prison, according to Christy Wyler, who is the WDOC’s Reentry Program Manager. The Department will present one individual with the “Gold Award” and the other with a “Platinum” Award, which is the highest honor.

Howell was this year’s Gold Award recipient. He has volunteered at Bethel for over 18 years and is currently the Acting Director/President. Bethel is a 100% volunteer non-profit faith based organization that provides re-entry assistance such as mentoring, housing, transportation, food and agency referrals to individuals who have released from county jail or state prison. Bethel has been providing services in the community for over two decades and will help anyone regardless of religious affiliation.

“Roy has been extremely helpful in helping a population that many others do not serve,” said WDOC Deputy Director Steve Lindly, who spoke at the award ceremony, held on February 13th at the Department’s Central Office building in Cheyenne. Lindly went on to note several ways in which Howell had gone above and beyond to help offenders – whether it was giving someone a ride to the bus stop or simply talking with them and providing moral support.

“It’s really been rewarding to be involved all these years and to watch the successes at times and to be a partner with the Department of Corrections,” said Howell. “It’s a real honor to receive this award. We do the best we can with what we have to work with. We do it really as a way to pay it forward to God for the things he’s done for us”.

The Platinum EMPOWER Award was presented to Dave Matthews of the Wyoming Rescue Mission. Matthews is the Men’s Program Director and oversees the Case Management Program. He has been with the organization for almost 17 years.

According to their website, “The Wyoming Rescue Mission rescues and reconciles the homeless and needy with the love of Christ restoring them back to society as healthy, productive, independent community members.”

Wyoming Rescue Mission provides food, shelter and assistance to anyone in need, and offers those who are addicted and downtrodden the opportunity to overcome their cycle of homelessness through their long-Term residential 12-step Recovery Program. Their Rescued Treasures Thrift Store provides a wide variety of quality used clothing and merchandise at a reasonable price.

Matthews is enthusiastic about helping offenders reintegrate into the community and is constantly looking for ways the Rescue Mission can best address the needs of offenders. He has consistently participated in WDOC’s Reentry Resource Fairs which are held three times a year at Wyoming prisons around the state.

The Wyoming Rescue Mission has an excellent reputation in Casper and across the state. Caseworkers and other community providers appreciate that Matthews always makes himself available to provide quality and reliable assistance.

“The recognition of getting an award like this is really a culmination of a joint effort” said Matthews, who went on to note his appreciation for various agencies that come together to support individual inmates getting out of prison. “Honestly, it’s something that’s needed rather than just throwing somebody out on the street and expecting them to be successful. It really is empowering them to be a more productive member of society,” Matthews said, adding, “I’m very pleased to receive this. It’s very much appreciated”.

“Offenders cannot succeed unless we have these partnerships with organizations like yours and individuals like you,” Deputy Director Lindly told the award recipients in his closing remarks, adding that the work they do is all the more commendable because it’s done voluntarily and on a limited budget. Both organizations rely heavily on donations in addition to funding received through United Way.

“You folks rise to the top. We owe you a large thanks for helping the Department of Corrections staff be successful,” Lindly said.

WDOC Reentry Program Manager Christy Wyler said she and her team were “overwhelmed” with the amount of nominations the selection committee received in the award program’s first year. She said it’s important to recognize and honor the people and organizations in Wyoming that are willing to help offenders successfully transition to the community. She is excited to see the program grow in the future.


Comments:

  1. hamiltonlindley on 03/03/2020:

    Confident, charismatic, collaborative, uplifting, encouraging, approachable, attentive, inspiring, trustworthy, transparent, focused, inclusive, honest, integrous, communicative… When you have a knowing within you, a desire to walk your own path, you tap into your own skills of leadership. Hamilton Lindley Always do the honest thing. Focus. Know where you're going and have a strong stated mission to lead people on. Passion. Whatever it is, you must have passion for what you're doing. Respect. Excellent persuasion abilities. Confidence. Clarity. Care.


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