By SHARE New Mexico

Returning Citizens is one of seven initiatives SHARE New Mexico is engaged in to help create positive change for the  many diverse communities across the Land of Enchantment. The goal of the Returning Citizens’ initiative is “to reduce recidivism through collaboration of community-based, faith-based, for-profit, not-for-profit, and government agencies that network, educate, nurture, train and work with returning citizens and their families to prepare for successful transition into society as productive, law-abiding citizens of the community.” Two programs working to achieve that goal are highlighted here.

“The reason I like SHARE New Mexico so much is it gives us one site for everybody to go to,” said Ann Edenfield Sweet, Executive Director and Founder of Wings Ministry, an organization “transforming lives to break the generational cycle of incarceration.” Edenfield Sweet is one of several people working on SHARE New Mexico’s Returning Citizens initiative to provide resources for former inmates rejoining society after incarceration.

“One in ten children in American classrooms have a parent in the penal system,” Edenfield Sweet said. “It’s impacting their educational level. It’s a huge impact.” Through her work at Wings Ministry and collaboration with SHARE New Mexico, Edenfield Sweet hopes to turn that impact from a negative into a positive. She explained that 72 percent of children with family members in prison will go to prison themselves, but by providing resources to those families, that number can be greatly reduced. “We know that if somebody gets involved in a local congregation - it could be Muslim, Jewish, Christian, it doesn’t matter - if involved weekly they are less likely to have at-risk behaviors,” Edenfield Sweet said. To learn more about Wings Ministry, visit wingsforlifeinternational.org.

Many men in prison are also parents. Fathers Building Futures, a project of PB&J Family Services offers job training and career services for dads returning from prison.

Krystyna Ciszek, communications and special events coordinator for Fathers Building Futures, explained that the program currently employs 15 fathers working in auto detailing, mobile power washing, freight delivery, and woodworking.

“We employ these fathers to help them with job development so they have a sustainable income for their families and so they are contributing to their community” Ciszek said. Fathers Building Futures partnered with Roadrunner Food Bank to help provide training and employment in freight delivery. “We have trucks of our own and trained all of our guys on CDL [Commercial Drivers License],” Ciszek said. “They have their CDL and are able to drive trucks for all deliveries or pickups and help out with some of the routes. Once they get those skills here and get some work under their belt, they can go out and find jobs elsewhere.”

Woodworkers in the program offer custom Lazy Susans, cutting boards, jewelry boxes, and other hand-crafted items. Ciszek said each piece of work “tells a story” and can be found on display at 4301 Fourth Street or at the Downtown Growers Market every other weekend. She said there will also be an e-commerce store that should “hopefully be up and running by the end of the month.”

Ciszek said the workers at Fathers Building Futures are the best types of individuals  to hire “because they have that hard drive to work” and are “good at what they do.” She added that the program is “important because these guys are determined, hard-working fathers who not only want to provide for their family, but to also contribute to their community.”

To learn how to become a volunteer with Fathers Building Futures, contact Ciszek directly at (505) 877-7060, or to learn more about the program visit fathersbuildingfutures.org.

Visit SHARE’s Returning Citizens’ web pages to find information about these and more resources to help incarcerated adults or youth and their families make a successful transition back into the community.