About Lynn M Zwerling
When I retired, I established a Knitting Behind Bars project to benefit inmates and the community. Inmates at Jessup Pre Release make small cuddly dolls to be given to truamatized children. Patience, anger management, goal setting and appropriate communications are skills developed.
To distribute these inmate-made comfort dolls to first responders.
Introduce the "behind the walls" population to the communty.
Practise goal setting, anger management and communication skills.
The inmates learn vital life skills and accomplish a creative task.
Encourage real people to interacte with cons in a creative process.
Overview
The project began with a handful of men incarcerated in JPRU and now there is a waiting list for future sites and future participants. I need funding for supplies, administrative costs and promotional materials and a stipend for my volunteers. Our plan is to encourage our knitters to "pay it forward" by teaching these life skills to other inmates. I presently have 3 volunteers who go to the prision weekly teaching life skills and knitting. Yes, knitting. I tell the inmates that knitting is the new yoga and they rave about the changes they have seen in their attitudes and relationships. After learning basic knitting skiills, a small, cuddly doll is made by the inmates and then presented in an in-person event to first responders in the community. Concept is to give inmates the opportunity to do something good while incarcerated, to build a bridge to a future community.
To distribute these inmate-made comfort dolls to first responders.
Introduce the "behind the walls" population to the communty.
Practise goal setting, anger management and communication skills.
The inmates learn vital life skills and accomplish a creative task.
Encourage real people to interacte with cons in a creative process.
Overview
The project began with a handful of men incarcerated in JPRU and now there is a waiting list for future sites and future participants. I need funding for supplies, administrative costs and promotional materials and a stipend for my volunteers. Our plan is to encourage our knitters to "pay it forward" by teaching these life skills to other inmates. I presently have 3 volunteers who go to the prision weekly teaching life skills and knitting. Yes, knitting. I tell the inmates that knitting is the new yoga and they rave about the changes they have seen in their attitudes and relationships. After learning basic knitting skiills, a small, cuddly doll is made by the inmates and then presented in an in-person event to first responders in the community. Concept is to give inmates the opportunity to do something good while incarcerated, to build a bridge to a future community.
Goal is to develop other sites
How will the 50K be Used? | |
| Budget Notes: Cost of traveling to public relations meetings and events Cost of memebership fees for community organizations Transportation cost for volunteers to facilities | |
| $ 5,000 | Website design and hosting |
| $ 1,500 | Yarn, knitting needles and other craft supplies |
| $ 6,000 | Annual stipend for knitting teachers |
| $ 5,000 | Annual stipend for web master |
| $ 31,500 | Annual salary for Project Director |
| $ 1,000 | Collateral supples, fliers, cards, ads, fundraising |
