MEETING TIME AND LOCATION
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Wesley United Methodist Church
800 E. 12th Street
Des Moines, IA 50316-4304
Brown bag lunch
MISSION STATEMENT
To bring together and inform individuals and groups concerned about women in the Iowa correctional system and to act on their behalf.
INTRODUCTIONS and ANNOUNCEMENTS
REPORTS:
ICIW Report – Warden Patti Wachtendorf or ICIW Representative
Fresh Start – Peggy Urtz
Treasurer – Rosemary Jungmann
PROGRAM/FOCUS:
You may remember that John Carroll was scheduled to speak to us in April, but his brother’s heart attack prevented that, so now we welcome him to our June meeting. John is responsible for DMACC classes and High School completion at iCIW. John has worked closely with Rosemary Jungmann on winter and spring classes for the Friends 18 scholarship recipients.
John is a 1971 graduate of Loras College in Dubuque with a major in History and minor in Education, with a teaching certificate. In 1980 John received a Masters Degree in Secondary Education Administration from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
From 1971-1979 he taught at Cromwell Children’s Unit, Mental Health Institute and was Education Program Administrator from 1980-1986. From 1986-1999 he was Distribution Manager for Showtime Party Sales (Tupperware Franchise). He and his wife were on the President’s Council for Tupperware twice, also ranked in the top 40 in Tupperware sales nationwide for two years.
In 2001 John became Education Program Manager for Newton Correctional Facility and ICIW, he was in that position until 2003. From 2003-2012 he was Education Manager and Instructor at ICIW, from 2012 to the present he has been in charge of DMACC Correspondence and DMACC High School Completion. We look forward to John’s presentation.
RECAP OF MAY 19, 2015 MEETING
In May we welcomed Marty Ryan, a familiar face at Friends meetings. Marty is the Justice Reform Consortium Lobbyist at the Iowa Legislature. He promised to speak to us whether or not the legislative session had ended, and it had not ended. We appreciated him taking the time out of his busy schedule to be with us.
Marty distributed the Justice Reform Consortium newsletter dated May 19, 2015. To read it and several previous newsletters, Google Justice Reform Consortium. Two issues addressed in the year’s legislative session were: Risk Assessment and Minority Impact.
Risk assessment is an evaluation of the criminals risk of committing another crime. A number of questions are asked, among them may be “Do you come from a high crime neighborhood?” and “Do you have financial support?” These questions seem racially or underprivileged biased. A person should not be sentenced on potential of crime, but on what was done. Risk Assessment should only by used by the Parole Board. Risk Assessment is not “Needs Assessment” which is very important.
“Minority impact statements” would be considering what impact any law would have on minorities?
Thanks Marty, we so appreciate your keeping us informed!
UPCOMING MEETING & PRESENTER:
In July it will be our pleasure to welcome Donald Wadleigh, Prison Club Committee Chair for District 19 of Toastmasters International. He has been involved in Toastmasters since his College days, which is longer ago than what he wants to remember. Most recently he has been active in District 19 which includes Iowa plus small parts of Nebraska and Illinois.
Don is retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He retired as Chief of Project Operations for the Chicago District of the Corps. Since that time he was involved in Disaster Recovery efforts for FEMA in Hurricane Katrina, the patriots Day storm in Maine and the 2008 Iowa floods.
Don became involved with Toastmaster Clubs in Prisons when he was Area Governor for the Davenport and Muscatine, Iowa vicinities and one of the clubs in his Area was tagged as “Suspended”. Upon investigation he found that it had not met for two years and had no source of funding to pay members dues. Working with other Toastmasters and the Prison Staff, the Hilltop was restarted and has gone on to become one of the strongest Prison Toastmasters Club and indeed one of the strongest in District 19.
He is currently working with the ICIW staff and local Toastmaster Clubs in the east Des Moines and Newton areas to form a Toastmaster Club there in Mitchellville. Don’s program would include answering these questions:
- What goes on in a typical Toastmaster meeting
- What goes on in a typical Prison Toastmaster meeting
- What options are available for organizing a club
- How Toastmasters can fit into and augment a re-entry program
- Some success stories.
We look forward to hearing Donald’s presentation.