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Administration for Children and Families US Department of Health and Human Services

 HHS News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, October 3, 2003
Contact: Chris Downing
ACF Press Office (202) 401-9215

HHS Awards Nearly $9 Million to Support Mentoring Programs for Children of Prisoners

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced nearly $9 million in grants to 52 organizations to train adult volunteers as mentors to children whose parents are incarcerated. These grants are part of President Bush’s plan to provide mentors for disadvantaged youth to help them as they grow into adulthood.

“Mentors offer love, guidance and encouragement to the children they connect with,” Secretary Thompson said. “This program will give children whose parents are incarcerated the support they need as they face the day-to-day challenges of growing up.”

Between 1991 and 1999, the number of children with a parent in a federal or state correctional facility increased by more than 100 percent, from about 900,000 to about 2,000,000. Fewer than 50 percent of prisoners receive regular visits from their children, either because the children’s caregiver chooses not to visit or because the distance is prohibitive. Studies show that children with incarcerated parents have a seven times greater chance than the general population to become incarcerated themselves.

The grantee organizations will receive referrals from parents, caretakers, schools, courts, social services agencies or religious organizations. They will train and match mentors with children from age four to 15. They will also screen all potential mentors for child and domestic abuse and other criminal history.

Mentors will be required to make at least a one-year commitment and to meet at least once weekly with his or her child. They will also be encouraged to form a relationship with the whole family in order to ease the transition when the incarcerated parent is released. The grantees will monitor and assist the mentors on an ongoing basis.

“I believe this is one of the most important set of grants we will award this year,” said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., assistant secretary for children and families. “Connecting young people whose parents are in prison with mentors at this critical time in their lives should really make a lasting positive difference.”

This list of grantees and the amount of their awards follow:

MENTORING CHILDREN OF PRISONERS FISCAL YEAR 2003 GRANTEES

 
Organization
City
State
Award

Alabama Attorney
General's Office

Montgomery
AL
$461,568
Center For Youth and Families, Inc
Little Rock
AR
$525,000
MatchPoint of Arizona, Inc.
Phoenix
AZ
$75,000
Pima Prevention Partnership
Tucson
AZ
$195,000
Centerforce, Inc
San Rafael
CA
$70,000
Governor's Office of Criminal Justice Planning
Sacramento
CA
$270,000
Northern Valley Catholic Social Services
Redding
CA
$120,000
Path of Life Ministries
Riverside
CA
$480,000
San Diego Youth and Community Services, Inc
San Diego
CA
$150,000
Denver County Area Youth Services
Denver
CO
$100,000
Governor's Partnership to Protect Connecticut; Workforce, Inc.
Hartford
CT
$225,000
Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters
Hartford
CT
$270,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of DE, Inc
Wilmington
DE
$82,500
Hawaii Youth Services Network
Honolulu
HI
$165,000
Franklin Williamson Human Services, Inc
West Frankfort
IL
$75,000
Indiana Behavioral Health Choices, Inc.
Indianapolis
IN
$172,500
YMCA of Greater Louisville
Louisville
KY
$52,500
Community Service Center, Inc.
New Orleans
LA
$62,500
Breaking the Chains Foundation
Hyattsville
MD
$120,000
Center for Children
LaPlata
MD
$47,044
US Dream Academy, Inc.
Columbia
MD
$420,000
Volunteers of America Northern New England
Brunswick
ME
$120,000
Alternatives for Girls
Detroit
MI
$100,000
Volunteers in Prevention, Probation, and Prisons, Inc
Detroit
MI
$240,000
Search Institute
Minneapolis
MN
$150,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri
St. Louis
MO
$193,500
Missoula County
Missoula
MT
$60,000
Montana Human Resources Development Council Directors
Bozeman
MT
$112,500
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
$238,500
Chatham County Together!
Pittsboro
NC
$30,000
Girl Scouts of Rolling Hills Council
North Branch
NJ
$60,000
San Juan County Partnership, Inc.
Farmington
NM
$200,000
Center For Community Alternatives, Inc
Syracuse
NY
$150,000
Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families
New York
NY
$75,000
The Osborne Association, Inc
Long Island City
NY
$75,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Central Ohio, Inc.
Columbus
OH
$256,932
Little Dixie Community Action Agency
Hugo
OK
$60,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Portland
Portland
OR
$105,000
Committed Partners for Youth
Eugene
OR
$75,000
Deschutes County
Bend
OR
$62,500
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern PA
Philadelphia
PA
$450,000
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Bucks County, Inc
Jamison
PA
$82,000
Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation
Pittsburgh
PA
$180,000
The Salvation Army, a New York Corporation
Philadelphia
PA
$95,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters, Alamo Area
San Antonio
TX
$487,500
City of Longview
Longview
TX
$175,000
Montgomery County Youth Services, Inc
Conroe
TX
$75,000
South Plains Community Action Association, Inc.
Levelland
TX
$90,000
Center For Multicultural Human Services
Falls Church
VA
$100,000
Girl Scouts-Totem Council
Seattle
WA
$67,500
Volunteers of America Western Washington
Everett
WA
$165,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Milwaukee

Milwaukee
WI
$400,000


Total Awarded: $8,869,544

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news

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The page was last updated: October 22, 2003