Staff and participants at the Dauphin County Reentry Service Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania recently hosted a successful school supply donation drive that served as part of the program’s community service curriculum.
Program Manager Jacqueline Schap came up with the idea as an initiative that would both help the community and provide a productive assignment for participants in the non-residential reentry program, which is run by GEO Reentry Services.
To get the ball rolling, Ms. Schap contacted an alumna of her college, Ms. Powell, now a learning support teacher in the Harrisburg school system and in need of supplies for in-home and in-person learning. The range of school supplies participants contributed included envelopes teachers could use to mail homework to students, as well as hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, pencils, markers, notebooks and pens.
“We are inspired by the sense of community shared within the Dauphin County center,” said John Hogan, Area Manager for GEO Reentry Service Centers in Pennsylvania. “The participants demonstrated their willingness to help others in need and part of the essence of this step in MRT is ‘giving back and becoming a good force in the world.’”
Moral Reconation Therapy is the systematic, step-by-step cognitive skills rehabilitation system designed to develop moral decision-making strategies in individuals to help break the cycle of criminal behavior. At the Dauphin County RSC, MRT classes are coordinated by Case Manager Aqila Webb and typically include some form of community service so participants can give back.
Schap and Webb thought a supply drive was an appropriate activity for a pandemic, as it did not require participants to go out into the community and put themselves or others at risk.
“We were very pleased to see our participants so eager to contribute school supplies for the district,” said Ms. Schap. “Many of our participants have children in the Harrisburg school system, and our participants did a great job by supplying Ms. Powell with an abundance of donations that will help the children learn and experience a successful start to the school year.”
At the Dauphin County RSC, participants have access to multi-phase, evidence-based treatment methods that focus specifically on their individual criminogenic risks and needs. Those referred to Pennsylvania reentry service centers receive comprehensive treatment, from intake and assessment to careful monitoring throughout the program and aftercare. In addition to MRT, this treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy; life skills classes; employment readiness training; Community Connections, which links participants to key community resources; and more.