Talk to us about what you're doing in Colorado.
The vision was birthed when we found out that moms who go to prison pregnant have no possibility to have a life with their child after release.
So we just started taking children into our home.
How did you get that opportunity?
We were interested in prison ministry, and we were contacted by a prison chaplain and notified that there was a need. That's how it started.
So you take these babies, and raise them until their mothers get out of prison?
That's right.
We take them into our homes, provide the best childcare, we provide one worker per child. They are with that child all the time, supervised by a house parent. Every week, we take them in for a 2.5 hour visit with their moms.
How many homes do you have right now that are taking in these kids?
About five. We can take in from 15 to 20 kids at one time.
Talk to us about a success story you've had with both mother and child.
I didn't realize taking care of a child would open the heart of a woman wide to the gospel.
Once they are out, we have programs for reintegration and recover, to help them move forward. Once we see a mom has been in the rehab program for six months, we'll provide her a job, and then she can begin her life again.
The moms who are willing to accept personal responsibility have phenomenal success.
What is your success rate?
94% of our children were united with their families.
The first child we took was in 1992. It was life changing for them. What they needed was someone to show them the way, and to walk with them.
There's a huge desire among our staff to use this time in their lives to make a real difference. There are many youth today that really want to grab onto something that will impact their personal life while they are impacting others.
When you get out of prison, you have to have a good recovery group and a job. Right?
Absolutely. If the ladies don't have that, they'll just turn back to their old life.
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