Breaking the cycle of prison
Jan. 27, 2008
Gary Vidor was in the middle of forging a career in international real estate when he attended a Purpose Driven Life seminar in 2004, based on the best-selling book byRick Warren. Vidor went to the seminar seeking insights; he left with a new meaning to his life and a new vocation of helping former prisoners.
During that seminar God spoke to me and called on me to help those in the correction system, said Vidor. When I look at my life today and what I am doing, it is certainly not what my sixth grade teacher told me I would end up doing. One minute I am making real estate transactions in Russia, and the next I am driving a charter bus to support a ministry.
Vidor walked away from his real estate career; today, he drives charter buses to help fund Project Unity for Life that he co-founded with Joe Brooks, an air force veteran and former antiques dealer. The organization has offices on Front Street at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City and is a faith-based (non-denominational) community ministry created to stop the revolving door of incarceration.
Project Unity offers assistance to those currently incarcerated --
or those who have been released from prison or jail -- by restoring a positive life direction through relationship-building, small groups and mentoring programs.
RATE OF RETURN
According to Vidor, recent studies have shown that in Michigan it costs around $6,800 a year to educate a student, and over $30,000 annually for each person incarcerated in the corrections system. There is a 60% recidivism rate of former prisoners who end up back behind bars.
Since 2000, Michigan has released an average of 10,000 prisoners a year. Yet within two years, 61% have found their way back to prison. The Michigan Department of Corrections now has an annual operating budget around $1.9 billion, which makes up about 20% of the States annual operating budget.
Vidor says these statistics create the need for what his organization is trying to accomplish.
First, we receive no state funds or taxpayer dollars. It is pretty obvious that the state doesnt have any money, said Vidor. The bottom line here is that it is time that we as a society, and in particular we here in the Northern Michigan community, address this issue. It is not a question of whether those in prison are going to be released: the bottom line is 95% of those incarcerated will be released.
We have to accept the fact that those in prison have problems that led them there and they need our help. I know my Christian faith calls on me to help all -- not just some -- in need. If the chances are that 60% of those will return back to prison, then we cant afford to not step up and do something.
Vidors partner Joe Brooks agrees.
As a society we can no longer afford to look the other way. Turning our backs on those who have been a part of the prison system is destructive to our communities in the long run, said Brooks. As a Northern Michigan community, if we can step up and provide assistance to offenders and get at the root causes of their destructive behavior, we as a society benefit.
MENTORING PRISONERS
Project Unity has taken on a pilot program at the Pugsley Correctional Facility near Kingsley. Vidor, Brooks and other trained volunteers go to Pugsley on a regular basis to meet with offenders who are nearing release.
Michigan has created the Michigan Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative. There are mandated programs within that initiative, and what we are is a voluntary program, a pilot program where offenders are not required to participate but may do so, said Brooks. We have small group programs and mentoring programs. Anyone in the general population may participate, and those that are about to be released may enter into the mentoring program.
Project Unity modeled their programs after one created by Chuck Colson (a Nixon administration Watergate figure) who founded Prison Fellowship Ministries. Since Project Unity is not funded by taxpayer dollars and is not directly a part of a state agency, it doesnt get caught up in a lot of shirttail regulations and is able to focus on the core issues facing those who have been incarcerated.
The crime or crimes committed is what lands them in prison, but what we are looking at is what leads them to committing the crime in the first place, said Vidor. If we dont address the root cause or causes, the person goes back to what it is they know best to handle the situations they are faced with.
ROOT CAUSES
Vidor and Brooks say that crimes are often attributed to alcohol and drug use but believe that there are root causes that go deeper.
Root causes are often some sort of unfinished business from childhood, said Vidor. There are four root causes that start the cycle. They are trust, fear, shame and guilt. It is usually one or a combination of all of these that creates anger in a person. Now a cycle begins and a person turns to alcohol, drugs, sex or some other mechanism to deny their true feelings and intensifying the anger. They begin to act out as a way to get attention because they are hurting. Often this attention is some sort of criminal behavior.
What Vidor and Brooks hope to accomplish is to break this vicious cycle by addressing root issues. In addition to the pilot program at Pugsley, they have programs such as small group gatherings in Traverse City, and mentoring programs.
It is important that people understand that we are a hands-up ministry, not a handout ministry, said Vidor. We dont have things per se to give people. What we offer are the resources to help a person make the changes in their lives necessary to find their way. When a person leaves prison, a lot has changed and often they are disconnected from family and their community. We are there to help with this transition. A big part of what we are about is accountability.
Brooks agrees.
Often a person has not been held accountable. We take a positive approach, whether it is in a group setting or with a mentor in teaching the importance of accountability, he said. Incarceration is also a generational thing, and for a person to understand that it is important to their family that they break the cycle, is also what we are trying to accomplish.
OPEN TO EVERYONE
Both organizers also dont want faith-based to be of concern.
Sometimes it is hard for people to understand what faith-based means. For us at Project Unity, we are open to everyone, whether that person has little or no faith or has beliefs alternative to Christian, said Vidor. They will
not be judged by us for their faith life; we simply want to help them from
their life-controlling problems that leads them into the revolving doors of incarceration. We are not affiliated with any one church or Christian denomination, so are not restricted by any specific religions dogma.
So what are Brooks and Vidor asking from the community?
As a non-profit organization that is not receiving government aid, we certainly need financial donors, said Vidor. We are also in need of volunteers and mentors. We have training programs, so there is assistance for those that want to mentor or work in a group setting.
To learn more about how you
might help financially, or by volun-teering, contact Project Unity for Life
at 231-929-4446 or online at projectunityforlife.org.
Wild Game Dinner to benefit Project Unity for Life
Project Unity for Life will host its first major fundraiser with a Sportsmans Night Out on Friday, February 1 at The Williamsburg Dinner Theater. The evening will include one of the most impressive wild game dinners ever held in
Northern Michigan.
The menu continues to evolve almost daily, said Gary Vidor of Project Unity. We have venison, buffalo, elk tenderloin, pheasant, goose and antelope right now. The Grand Traverse Band is working on fresh whitefish for us, and another source looks to have alligator as well. We are very fortunate to have the talents of Dan Kelly from Catering By Kellys coordinating all of this food. If you have an appreciation for wild game, this night is for you.
The cost for the evening is $75 per person or tables seating eight guests may be purchased for $500. Cocktail hour with a cash bar begins at 6 p.m. with dinner starting at 7 p.m. The evening will include music, door prizes and raffles as well as additional information about the work Project Unity is doing in the community.
This is more than a fundraiser; this is equally an awareness-raiser, said Vidor. It is important for Northern Michigan to know what it is we are trying to accomplish, and how they might be able to help.
To purchase tickets or a table contact event
co-chairs Gary Vidor, 231-632-5553 or Tina Dane,
231-409-1391. While billed as a Sportsmans Night Out, Vidor says women are welcome as well.
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