Conference Interest Meeting - July 23

There is something exciting happening in Alabama – and we are hoping you will be a part of it.

My friend, Mary Kay Beard, and I invite you to a meeting on Saturday, July 23, 9 to 11 a.m., to discuss an idea we have brewing. The meeting will be at Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church, 4660 Caldwell Mill Road, Birmingham, AL 35243.

What Mary Kay and I have been discussing is an Alabama conference for families of the incarcerated. We would love to have your input on this vision.

For the last two years I have attended and presented at the National Prisoners Family Conference. The other presenters have come from all over the country. They have covered a wide range of topics aimed at families of the incarcerated, and I have connected with people, organizations, and resources from one end of the United States to the other.

This conference has been extremely helpful to me as I direct Extended Family, a support system for families of prisoners. I have wanted to give that same conference experience to family members in Alabama, and Mary Kay feels the same way. (For those of you who don’t know Mary Kay, she is an ex-offender and founder of Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree. You can learn more about her story at www.marykaybeard.com.)

At the July 23 meeting we will discuss the idea of a state conference, get your input, and brainstorm on the purpose for such a conference. We had a similar meeting on June 11, and those in attendance were overwhelming for putting together an Alabama state conference for families of prisoners and others associated with the prison experience. We have even started to form a Conference Planning Committee.

Attendance at the July 23 meeting does not mean you have to be on the Planning Committee! It is simply a meeting to determine interest and get the ball rolling.

We hope to see you at:

Conference Interest Meeting
Saturday, July 23, 2011
9 – 11 a.m.
Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church
4660 Caldwell Mill Road
Birmingham, AL 35243

If you have any questions between now and then, please contact Sharon Denham, Conference Planning Committee Chairperson, at 205-902-8437, Laure Clemons at 256-927-7997, or Mary Kay Beard at 205-815-9991. And please pass this information on to anyone you know who might be interested in attending.


Laure Clemons
executive director
Extended Family

2011 Prisoners Family Conference - on my way!

Thanks to all of the friends and supporters of Extended Family, I will be attending and presenting at the 2011 Prisoners Family Conference in Portland, Oregon!

I leave on Feb. 22 and will return Feb. 26 – with some fabulous stories to tell when I get back. (Visit www.solutionsforelpaso.org to see the list of presenters and find a Conference registration form.)

Last year Jerry and I attended the National Conference in Orlando, FL. This year I’m going on my own so Jerry can stay here to work and attend his college classes. AND I get to present two workshops this year – the Extended Family for Kids workshop, and our latest one called Going Home. We will have an Extended Family exhibit at the conference as well, and I’ll be attending other workshops by presenters from all over the country.

On Monday, March 7, I will be giving a presentation at our Centre, AL Extended Family meeting on what I learned at the Conference and telling the stories of the people we reached while there. Please mark this date on your calendar and join us for a great update. Extended Family – March 7, 6 p.m., Cherokee Baptist Association Building, Main Street, Centre, AL 35960.

Stay tuned for more updates on Extended Family’s work - and thank you for helping us toward our Mission – to offer help and inspire hope.

Laure Clemons
executive director
Extended Family

Speaking to Rotary Club

On Jan. 31, 2011, I spoke to the Rotary Club of Centre, AL, and gave them an update on our Extended Family for Kids program – and there was a lot to tell!

Four years ago when I created Extended Family for Kids, a 9-session program for children of the incarcerated, I had no idea how far it would go. Today the program is in nine states, from New Mexico to New York, from Florida to Indiana.

We are now in talks with Big Brothers Big Sisters and The Alabama Children’s Trust fund about the possibility of doing Extended Family for Kids with their “Bigs” and “Littles” through a Mentoring Children of Prisoners grant. (By the way – Big Brothers Big Sisters is a great way to mentor a child who has a loved one incarcerated – so check out your local chapter if you want to be involved in that great program.)

Today’s Rotary Club audience was made up of the leaders of Cherokee County, AL – large and small business owners, hospital and college administrators, retired politicians – and they were extremely supportive of Extended Family for Kids.

If your community group would like to hear the Extended Family for Kids story, or an update from the last time I talked to you, please give us a call at 256-927-7996, or e-mail us a date and time so we can get you on the schedule.

Stay tuned…..

Laure Clemons
executive director
Extended Family