April 28 - The day started in Ft. Dodge to meet with the Church of the Damascus Road leaders Carrol and Judy Lang. Their organization began in 1998 and serves both Ft. Dodge and Rockwell City prisons. Covid hit them pretty hard, but they continue to provide mentor support. Such an inspirational and dedicated group. It was an honor to meet them.
Judy Lang and Mike Cervantes
Next my travels took me to Des Moines. First to meet with Jim Ferguson and John Mathes of the Plymouth Church of Christ. They do incredible work providing mentoring to men and women leaving incarceration. So many individuals return to the Des Moines area and this organization is there to walk with them on their journey.
I met with Rob Zlomke of Primary Health Care next. They are an invaluable organization for so many people. Beside health care, they can connect individuals with area services including housing. Following this visit, I met with Randi Radosevich of St. Vincent de Paul. Their reentry program, Immersion, keeps expanding and reaching more individuals. The great thing about St. Vincent de Paul is that they collaborate so well with other organizations. Very impressive and effective! My next visit was with Carly Milsap of the 5th Judicial District parole office. Carly is so easy to work with and really works to help people have successful parole experiences. Finally, I stopped in the Beacon of Life to meet a friend who was graduating from their program. So glad to see first hand the results of hard work and commitment.
All of the people I met provide inspiration. Iowa is filled with good people doing their best to encourage positive prison reentry. Thanks everyone and I look forward to my next trip.