Middlesex County Prison Coordinating Committee

177 Forest Avenue

West Newton, MA 02465

COORDINATOR'S REPORT

2003 - 2004

The highlights of this past year were:

· A successful open public forum featuring Sheriff DiPaola and selected staff that was well attended and hosted by the UCC Church in Bedford.

· Awards given to faithful volunteers by the Sheriff in recognition of their service.

· The legal recognition of MCPCC as a 501(C)(3) Charity, enabling us to apply for our first grant. Many thanks to Tom Crowther for his dedicated effort to achieve this.

· The informative and poignant first time talk by a family member of a former Billerica inmate. This is the first time since I have served the committee that we have had a family member speak of their experience. I believe we all found it to be most meaningful.

· Attorney Lee Gartenberg, speaking to us about various legal issues, which is always thought provoking.

· MCPCC being invited by the Sheriff's office to attend the graduation ceremony of new correctional officers.

Our regular ongoing activities continued: collection of paperback books for the library; art and writing contests for the inmates with canteen prizes, organized by Lynda Justice of the Billerica staff; selling of cards with inmates' art to raise money for art supplies; distribution of a monthly newsletter; liaison

with other prison activists and organizations; inmate Bible study with The Rev. Jamie Howard and Bedford UCC church members; expansion of the Houses of Healing

program through the dedicated efforts of Carol Peters, coordinated by Billerica staff member Leila Hall; raising funds to send inmates' children to one week at a Christian summer camp; collecting Christmas cards for distribution by the Protestant Chaplain, The Rev. Milton Thomas; etc.

For the year ahead, we must focus on shoring up our somewhat precarious financial situation and, with that done, explore the possibility and feasibility, legally, of opening a spiritually-based residential unit at

Billerica; obtain a speaker re: the new space at Billerica and how it will be utilized; ascertain what role we might play in the arrangements for the chapel and development of a space for children visiting their fathers. Perhaps, if we receive a newsletter grant money, we could make a video newsletter about MCPCC, to send to supporters informing them of how they could become involved in the prison ministry, with MCPCC members speaking along with The Rev. Clovis Turner, The Rev. Jamie Howard and Carol Peters.

My deep thanks to the members of the Executive Committee for your continued support, guidance and dedication to the prison ministry. I pray that this

important work will continue for another 22 years to bring hope to those incarcerated, support to those who work toward inmate's rehabilitation, and growing awareness in the faith community of the need for rehabilitation and compassion for families of those imprisoned.

To those, joined with us through spiritual and financial support, our thanks, because without you, none of this would be possible. May it ever be so! so!

Beverly Fulton Wilkins

Coordinator