HALFWAY HOME / Winter 2020

From the Program Manager

Thank you for joining us for our very first electronic newsletter. I am excited that Renascence is taking this next step in technology! Encourage your friends and family to subscribe as well. Newsletters by email will make it easier for us to keep in touch with you while also drastically cutting costs, thus making your donations go further in other areas.

We have had some exciting events recently and I hope you will enjoy reading about them in this newsletter. Thank you for your support which allows us to provide a safe home where our residents have the opportunity and resources to transform their lives.

Susan Hunt

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COVID-19 Update

We are pleased to report that we have had no COVID-19 infections among our residents and staff. We attribute this in large part to our developing and implementing early last Spring detailed COVID-19 policies and procedures for the house, residents, and staff. For a time we also closed the regular operation of our office, with office staff working largely from home, and implemented new 24-hour coverage by the staff of the house. We have continued our COVID-19 protocols, which include temperature checks for residents and staff; major cleaning and sanitizing of the house once a week; providing residents with gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer as needed; posting at the house our COVID-19 policies and procedures; and restricting access by most visitors to the house and office.

We are committed to doing our part in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Montgomery. We have taken these precautions as we know our residents come to us from a high-risk prison environment, and we want to make sure our residents do not unintentionally spread the virus to the general public.

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Resident Field Trip

Our residents and several staff members recently took a field trip to downtown Montgomery to learn about Montgomery's history and how our past still affects us today. They also visited EJI's National Memorial for Peace and Justice. It was a good day of learning and exploring. Twyanna Penick was our guide. See more photos of the trip here.

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Resident Spotlight

Bobby Pate came to Renascence in January 2020 after spending a short time in prison. He says what got him into trouble in the first place was hanging out with the “wrong crowd.” “They were stealing” and getting into other trouble, he noted, and he got himself in trouble, too. He told his parole officer in Greenville, Ala., that he needed help. The officer agreed and sent him through the Day Reporting Center (DRC), a program of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, which provided him the opportunity to live at Renascence.

He has found the help he needed living at Renascence. Through the DRC, which is next door to Renascence, he reports regularly to his parole officer and participates in life skills and other classes. Renascence residents also regularly participate in AA or NA meetings, house meetings, and Bible Studies. They also do chores regularly and help each other as a community. Dereck Wise, House Superintendent, says that Bobby is quick to offer help with additional things that need to be done around the house, and never complains.

Bobby has also deepened his faith in God in his time at Renascence. He regularly reads his Bible, meditates, prays, and tells the other men about God’s love. He says, “God has brought me a long way from who I used to be.” He is relying on God and that strengthened faith to get him through the tough days ahead when he moves back home. He is depending on God to keep him away from the same people who got him into trouble in the first place. He says he has no desire for alcohol any longer, but if he had not come to Renascence, he would probably be out drinking now.

He is especially grateful for the help he has received from Joe Crowley, the current Renascence board chairperson. Bobby says, “Dr. Crowley has been a blessing. He has a good heart.” Joe has taken him to many doctor’s appointments and has helped him manage his finances.

There are only a few more requirements from the DRC that Bobby needs to complete before he can go home to Georgianna where his mother and many other family members live. He and his parole officer are actively working on ways for him to complete those requirements. He is very ready to move back home, and Renascence will have a good celebration for him when he is finally able to go back there and live a new life.

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Come See Our Repainted House

Thanks to the generous support of the Montgomery County Commission and the donors to our capital improvement appeal, the exterior of the Renascence house was repainted beautifully. Jaime Pourhassan Painting did excellent work.

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Gift Hope MGM 2020 - December 5

Gift Hope MGM 2020, the 9th annual, community-wide, alternative gift fair, will feature numerous nonprofits, including Renascence, that serve “the least of these” in our community and will offer shoppers the opportunity to make a donation for specific items in honor of another. It's the perfect gift for teachers, colleagues, friends, and loved ones.
 
This year’s Gift Hope event will be on Saturday, December 5, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at Cloverdale Park across from the First United Methodist Church. There, “shoppers” will have an opportunity to speak directly with nonprofit representatives, view their displays, and learn more about their missions. (COVID safety precautions will be followed at this outdoor event.)

There is an “online shopping” option as well! Gift Hope shopping is available online at www.fumcmontgomery/GiftHope until December 13. Brief videos featuring each nonprofit, a link to their website, and a shopping menu of gifts are available online.

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Renascence Board News

After three-year terms of dedicated service on the Board, Patrick McGinn and Richard Amberg have stepped off to give more time to other responsibilities. With gratitude for their commitment and various contributions to our work, we wish them all the best.
 
We have been happy to welcome three new Board members in 2020:

Vincent Hall has returned to Montgomery after a 32-year career in Georgia working variously as a law office court specialist and administrator; an HR administrator; and an advocate for repeat youth offenders.  In October he assumed the role of board secretary

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Kiesha Favor served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army. She is currently patient navigator coordinator at Health Services Inc. She participated in Leadership Montgomery’s Torchbearers Course.

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Willie J. Miles III comes to us with a 32-year career in the US Postal Service. He is an ordained elder at Fresh Anointing House of Worship. He has been pastor over men's ministry and prison ministry. He is a facilitator and teacher of the Man Up program.

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House Work Day

Volunteers, Board members, residents, and staff all pitched in on November 7 for a workday at the house. Our donation closet needed to be cleaned and reorganized. Thank you to everyone who helped with this event - it made a big difference!

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