The Center for Community Transitions is a non-profit organization that helps people with criminal records and their families find a healthier, more productive way of living. The organization provides employment and transition services, supports alternatives to incarceration, and restores and strengthens family bonds. Services are provided at no cost to the incarcerated individual or the family.
The organization is focused on returning individuals to their family and community as law abiding citizens and reengaging them as parents, employees, and neighbors. Additional goals include breaking the cycle of recidivism and of intergenerational criminal justice involvement, plus advocating for social justice changes in the system that eliminate barriers and obstacles to full restoration of citizen rights.
The Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC)’s partnership with the Center began in July 2017. The committee paired with this organization works with children and families that currently have an incarcerated family member (mother, father, sibling, grandparent, aunt or uncle, etc). Every third Thursday of the month, JLC volunteers help with a get together for the children and family. These events allow people in similar situations to be around others experiencing the same thing, allowing them to share feelings, fears and perspectives. The volunteers serve meals and lead activities, particularly fun activities so that the kids can feel like kids. Quarterly, the volunteers help take the kids on cultural outings to places like Discovery Place, Imaginon and the Children’s Theater.
Rhonda Blasingame, the JLC Center for Community Transitions Committee Chair, said she enjoys working with a consistent group of children and family members every month. “We’ve had the opportunity to watch the children grow and open up more and more at each event. The kids just like to have fun and we enjoy playing games, singing silly songs, and just letting them be a kid for the two hours we spend with them at the center where they just get to forget about the stress they are facing at home for the most part.”
She continued, “I’ve learned that you absolutely can’t judge a book by its cover and that the circumstances some of these kids are facing go far beyond just coping with a loved one being incarcerated. This stigma can lead to isolation, low self-esteem, poor performance in school, and so much more. I’ve also learned that these children often are lacking basic necessities due to their circumstance. Often the child is living with a grandparent that is significantly older and unable to provide for the care and needs of the child fully or they live with another relative that is not only raising their own children but now have this additional child to care for.”
Blasingame has been active in the JLC since 2013. “I have led many community placements in JLC over the years, but I have never seen a group and their director as grateful for our dedication and volunteers like this one. They are so incredibly open and genuinely express their gratitude to JLC on a regular basis. We are making a huge difference in this program and the lives of these children and families,” she said.
Written by Sarah Wetenhall
