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