“Hello Colisha,
I wanted to write to thank you for yesterday. My older children enjoyed themselves so much and are still talking about it. They don’t get to come as often as Jaylen when they got there they loved it. They loved the staff and were amazed by all of the activities they would be exposed to, especially Teen Talk. They were amazed by how many people remembered them and made them feel welcome. The Easter baskets were just the icing on the cake for them. What an excellent Children’s program. My little Jaylen was something else – he is so comfortable and at home there that he knows the whole building. I was amazed. I prayed about volunteering. I knew it was the right thing to do for my heart and my community but at the same time I did not want my children to suffer from my absence. It is such a blessing that I can follow my heart and my children can be safe, well taken care of and even happy and having fun. It is definitely a win-win situation. The desire to help is definitely rubbing off on them. My oldest son, Juwan, will be donating his never worn shoes to the men at StepUp next Tuesday (it was his idea) and my oldest daughter, Imani, volunteers at her school reading to the disabled children in her school. Jalen is learning what the days of the week are (at least Tuesdays and Thursdays) because he says, “Mommy – Tuesday is volunteer day.” And on Wednesday mornings he is so happy when he goes to daycare because he has had such a great Tuesday. Thank you for such a wonderful program and for allowing my children to attend.”

If you are interested in getting involved at StepUp please Click Here to visit our volunteer sign-up page.

 Photo on homepage provided by Diane McKinney Photography 

“As an employment counselor and recruiter at StepUp Ministry, Theresa Godfrey splits her time between convincing individuals with criminal records that they have a genuine opportunity for change and convincing employers of the value of hiring individuals with criminal records. To do both, Theresa describes her own involvement in the criminal justice system and how her successful journey of reentry passed through that same seat two years ago.

“When people arrive at my desk, they are at their rope’s end,” said Theresa. “After listening to what they have to say, I share a little about myself so they can think, ‘if it can happen to her, it can happen to me.’”

Theresa was released from prison on January 1, 2010, having served 18 months for crimes motivated by substance abuse. At the time of her last arrest, she was alienated from her family, miserable, and ready for change. Told by an officer that she was being arrested, Theresa responded, “No, I’m being rescued.”

“At that point, I made the decision that I didn’t want to come out the way I had come in,” said Theresa. “I went to prison, but there was a calm that went with me. I had always believed in God, but this time I was so far down and so alone that I had no choice but to really trust in my faith and grow it.”

A month after her release, Theresa enrolled in StepUp Ministry’s job training and placement program. “They gave me encouragement and empowered me to go out and get a job.”

After finding employment with StepUp’s support, Theresa spent her free time volunteering at StepUp to pay forward the support she had been given.  Recognizing how strongly new participants responded to Theresa’s story and spirit, StepUp Ministry soon offered Theresa a position as an employment counselor and recruiter.

“Theresa is probably the most inspirational person I have ever met,” said Steve Swayne, Executive Director of StepUp Ministry. “She’s incredibly humble and passionate. She has a unique ability to communicate her past in a way that looks toward her future. Every day here, she’s using her own experiences to make a real impact in other people’s lives.”

“Very rarely do people get away from me once I start working with them,” Theresa said with a hint of satisfaction.

When Theresa talks to or on behalf of individuals with criminal records—whether as part of her employment at StepUp, a member of her church’s prison ministry, the project director of a transitional home for women, or a member of the Advisory Board to the Division of Correction’s Treatment for Effective Community Supervision Program—her message is the same: “your life is not over—change can happen if you are ready for it.”

Using her own life as an example, Theresa’s message is one of empowerment and growth. “People have a lot to offer—we made a mistake, but we do not have to be victims of the mistakes we made. We can take control of our present and our future by changing the ways we react to society and the choices we make.”

This past March, Theresa had a powerful and unique opportunity to reflect on her reentry journey when she unexpectedly bumped into the judge who sentenced her to 18 months imprisonment. He told her, “I was trying to save your life.” As Theresa shared with him details of her new life, both shed plenty of tears for Theresa’s many successes.”

 Photo provided by Diane McKinney Photography

 Photo provided by Diane McKinney Photography 

 
Please join us for the annual StepUp Community Impact Luncheon to be held at White Memorial Presbyterian Church on Monday, June 4th. Guests will arrive at 11:45 and the program will begin promptly at noon. In addition to a keynote presentation by a member of the men’s NC State basketball coaching team, guests will meet program participants and learn about the important work being accomplished by this ministry. Reservations for this luncheon are required and can be made by contacting Mary Jane Clark at mjclark@step-up.us.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with the luncheon, please contact Betsy Davis at bdavis@step-up.us or Kathleen Hofstadter at khofstadter@step-up.us. We have opportunities both the day before and the day of the luncheon.

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Congratulations, Tawana! 

Lt. Commander Steven Harper serves as the StepUp Veteran Outreach Specialist.

CLICK HERE to read a News & Observer article about Steven.

About Steven:

Born: Aug. 24, 1969, in Washington, D.C.

Education: Bachelor of Science, N.C. A&T State University, 1991; Master of Business Administration, Amberton University, Garland, Texas, 1997.

SIGN UP HERE   to join the StepUp team!

Visit the MIDTOWN RACE SERIES  site for details

My name is Kiana and I am 14 years old in the 8th grade. I would like to give you a brief snap shot of my life and the hardships I endured, but most importantly would like to end this with my present and future goals. My sister Aaliyah passed away in 2005 from cancer at 12 years old. It made me feel frustrated to know that I would spend the rest of my life without my role model and my best friend. As a result I shut down and my grades suffered terribly.  I never thought I would recover.

When I came to StepUp, I did not want to talk to anyone. I would get angry and frustrated not understanding that the volunteers and staff members were here to help me. Ms. CC is the Children’s Program Manager at StepUp. I remember when Ms. CC pulled me aside and told me that here at StepUp, I didn’t have to be afraid. She said that she would always be open to talk with me and that she would never give up on me!  When I heard this, I felt relieved and surprised that there was actually a place that understood me for who I am and what I was going through. I began to feel valued. Through StepUp I learned that I mattered!!

I am happy to say that StepUp gave me the confidence to campaign for Vice President at my school, which I can happily say I hold the current position.  I have A’s and B’s currently and would like to be a Criminal Justice Attorney when I grow up. I am a proud graduate of the StepUp Children’s Program and hope to enroll in a Raleigh Charter School in the near future.

I would like to tell Ms. CC and the entire StepUp staff thank you for believing in me! I believe that my family cycle has been broken with the help of StepUp and I now believe in myself!   Thank you to God and to StepUp! God Bless!

Good morning. My name is Jeweliana. I am 13 years old and I would like to share a little about my story. Grades have never been an issue for me, but in school I would struggle to be understood. My teachers would never let me defend myself and I felt like I didn’t have a voice. My mother left me when I was 12 months old and I never met my father. I grew up depressed, thinking my mother and father did not love me and that it was my fault they left me. For the longest time I could never understand how a mother and a father could leave their child, until I met Ms. CC, the Children’s Program Manager at StepUp. I realized that I was not the only one. She shared her story with me and made feel that I was not alone in my feelings.  At StepUp I found a place where I could openly share my feelings as a child, and get help with them at the same time.

When I first arrived I was extremely reserved and put a defensive wall up. I have been hurt so many times that I didn’t want to open up and risk begin hurt again. I really didn’t believe that StepUp could help me.  My life changed when Ms. CC came to my school and sat down with my teachers, counselors and principals to discuss a plan of success for me. On my behalf, she helped my teachers really understand me. To this day, I have not had to deal with any other negative reactions from my teachers. I had no idea that StepUp would go that far to support me!  I felt relieved!  I finally believe that things would improve  for me.  Teen Talk is a program supported by StepUp staff members and volunteers that gives teenagers a chance to openly talk about what we feel. I couldn’t believe that I was finally going to be able to talk about things that really affected me. I think this part of the program helped me understand myself the most. I am thankful for StepUp’s Children’s Program because it gave me a place to belong.

I am happy to report that I continue to make straight A’s in school and that I have  been  recently  inducted into the National Honor Society. My dream is to enroll in the North Carolina School of Science and Math first and then to attend Harvard and study physiology and law. I would like  to thank StepUp for always supporting me and helping me to embrace my circumstances. Thank  you and God Bless!!