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IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2005Talbert House receives grant to mentor children of prisoners
CINCINNATI—Talbert House is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Cincinnati Bar Foundation to support the “Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents” program.
Children with an incarcerated parent are seven times more likely to become incarcerated themselves at some point, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. With the numbers of incarcerated adults increasing every year, the need for this program is substantial. The children of incarcerated parents often struggle with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, defiant and aggressive behavior, truancy, poor school performance and a higher incidence of alcohol and drug abuse.“Mentoring children of incarcerated parents was a natural extension of our services. We estimate that as many as 80 percent of the children we serve in our residential programs have at least one parent who, at one time, has been incarcerated. Why wouldn’t we want to try to break this cycle? With the generous support of the Cincinnati Bar Foundation, we can do just that,” says Talbert House Board Chair Pam Popp who is a health care attorney with Greenebaum Doll and McDonald.
The mentoring program is for children ages 4 to 14 who have at least one parent currently incarcerated. Potential mentors will be screened in a process that strives to ensure the safety of the child and the suitability of the mentor. Mentors will contact their assigned child at least once a week. Parents, caretakers, schools, courts, social service agencies, religious organizations and others can refer children to the mentoring program.
Talbert House needs volunteers to become mentors. Contact Denasonja Crockett, the mentor coordinator, at (513) 684-7977 ext.218 for more information. Talbert House serves 20,000 clients yearly in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, community corrections and welfare-to-work.
Since 1965, Talbert House’s mission is to be a progressive, multi-service, community-based nonprofit agency. Talbert House serves a broad population and develops and delivers services in mental health, community corrections, substance abuse and welfare-to-work. These services have two basic purposes: to improve social behavior and enhance personal recovery and growth.
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