Council of the Southern Mountains

 

 The Council of the Southern Mountains has been awarded a three year grant for the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program in the amount of $600,000. The grant award is made through the legislative authority of the Safe and Stable Families Act and is provided by the Administration on Children, Youth and Families of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The project is aimed at breaking the cycle of despair for children with parents involved in the correctional system, as statistically 70 percent of these individuals are destined to be incarcerated at some point in their lives unless meaningful interventions are initiated. The Mentoring Children of Prisoners Project is an alternative to the dramatic growth of incarcerated individuals in West Virginia and throughout the nation.
 The Council of the Southern Mountains, a community action agency in southern West Virginia, has previously implemented a mentoring program for these children in three counties: McDowell, Wyoming and Raleigh. The pilot project was funded by the West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw’s office.
Upon funding of this grant, the program will be expanded to eight counties: Logan, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers, and Wyoming. The Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program will provide community based one-on-one mentoring to children aged four to eighteen with a parent in the state or federal prison system. Mentors will be trained to provide interventions with targeted children to provide positive role models and influence them to lead productive lives. The goal of the program is to break the cycle of incarceration for the children destined to follow in the footsteps of their parents without positive role models.
 Randal Johnson, Executive Director of the Council of the Southern Mountains, stated upon notification of the highly competitive grant award, “On behalf of our Board of Directors, staff and consumers, we are elated to be given this opportunity to help the children of our communities. The mission of the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program is to provide youth with one or both parents in the correctional system with a positive support system. This support is essential to help them become responsible young men and women in today’s society. It is the goal of our agency to help our youth break the cycle of incarceration. We are honored to have been chosen from agencies competing for these funds from across the nation. This is a tremendous boost for the people and communities of southern West Virginia and our agency.” Johnson went on to say, “the Council would like to express our sincere gratitude to Delegate Clif Moore for helping the Mentoring Program. He was instrumental in assuring that CSM maintained the mentoring program.”
 Mentors will be trained in effective intervention techniques and must commit to helping children on a consistent basis. Present statistics indicate that over 5,400 children in the eight county service area of this grant will be eligible for services. As crime statistics continue to show alarming growth, especially due to drug use, early mentoring must be initiated to give targeted youth new opportunities and skills to overcome the many challenges facing them in today’s complex society.
The mission of the Council is to “Bring Opportunities Within Reach” and this award will assist in providing hope in breaking the “cycle of despair” for children of prisoners.
 WV Governor Joe Manchin formally announced the grant award on October 29, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. in the Governor’s Reception Room at the State Capitol.
For more information about participating with the Council of the Southern Mountains in this project, please call 862-3144. MCP staff are: Sharon Laxton, Augustine Lewis and Tammy Walker! GO MCP!