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Monday, July 18, 2016

The First Confidential White-Collar/Nonviolent Online Support Group in the United States


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The First Confidential White-Collar/
Nonviolent Online Support Group 
in the United States 


 Updated on Dec. 6, 2017

White-Collar/Nonviolent Support Group
Meets Online on Monday Evenings

 

Dear Fellow Travelers,

Progressive Prison Ministries and St. Joseph’s Mission Church invite you to join our confidential online white-collar/nonviolent support group. We hold our group meetings on Monday evenings, 7 to 8:15 pm Eastern, 6 to 7:15 pm Central, 5 to 6:15 pm Mountain, 4 to 5:15 pm Pacific.

 

We are doing something truly groundbreaking! This is the first confidential white-collar/ nonviolent online support group in the United States. As this support group is being run by clergy as part of a program of pastoral counseling, we consider it to be confidential and privileged. Most participating will have been through their legal/prison issues in chief, and are out the other side.

 

This is a huge step in forming a community of individuals and families with white-collar and nonviolent incarceration issues. Our experience shows us that many of us are suffering in silence with shame, remorse, and deep regret. Many of us have been stigmatized by our own families, friends and communities, and the business community. Our goal is to learn and evolve into a new spiritual way of life centered on hope, care, compassion, tolerance and empathy, and then to reach out to offer all those suffering from these issues. In so doing, we will share our experiences, feelings and resources to help make the quality of each other’s lives more manageable. This is an important thing we are doing!

 

We held a powerful meeting last week! Thus far, Fellow Travelers have participated online from New York, New Jersey, Texas, Connecticut, Virginia (DC), Oklahoma, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Florida, California, Georgia, Colorado and Massachusetts. All have agreed this has been a valuable, important experience in which everyone feels less alone, and gratified in the opportunity to talk about things in a safe space only we could understand.

 

We have formed agreements as to confidentiality, anonymity and civility, and have a basic agenda for each meeting:

 

1. Welcome
2. Serenity Prayer:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
3. Short Member Introductions (if there is a new member)
4. Announcements & Resource Sharing
5. Guest Speaker and/or Lead on Topic
6. Member Sharing
7. Closing

 

Login Instructions and Link are sent out weekly. We have set up an account with gotomeeting.com for our group, and you can log in via video on a computer, tablet or smart phone that is equipped with a camera, or audio only via phone. Please use headphones if you can so that we can minimize feedback and background noise. Each meeting will have a different meeting number to best provide confidentiality.

 

For Newcomers, I (or the night’s leader) will be online fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of the meeting. GoToMeeting works wonderfully, however, it might take a little time to download, configure and get comfortable with on your end.

 

If you have suggestions for other fellow travelers to join this group, please call or email me to discuss. Our goal is to be inclusive.

 

IMPORTANT!: If you are currently on supervised release, probation or parole, it is important that you first discuss this with your P.O. To assist in this regard, information about our ministry is available on prisonist.org.

 

Please feel free to call or email me if you would like to join in our next meeting, or with any questions you might have regarding this group, its meetings, or anything else whatsoever.

 

Blessings,

Jeff

Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div
Co-Founder, Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.
Greenwich CT & Nationwide
PO Box 1232, Weston CT 06883
jgrant@prisonist.org
(office) 203-405-6249

 

PS: We now have a White-Collar/Nonviolent Support Group Facebook group page, where we can share information, resources, news, articles, etc. It is a "secret Facebook group" to protect our anonymity, so you won’t be able to find it until I send you the link. If you would like to join this Facebook group, “friend” me on Facebook (jeffgrant.ct) and send me an email. - Jeff 


COMMENTS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA:

Douglas Mairena I commend you for creating such a group! The stigma of incarceration in reality never leaves you. As a convicted white-collar criminal I've had to deal with these injustices from family, friends and former associates. The fact that I had a lapse in my moral character led me to commit fraud and thus landed me in a Federal Prison. That experience was the most degrading, humiliating and humbling. I have now been involved for over 4 years in Kairos Prison and it has allowed me to heal and in conjunction with my walk in Christ.

_____________

Donations

We are grateful for all donations this past year to our Ministries. These donations enable us to grow, reach out and serve this community for which there is far too little understanding, compassion, empathy and accurate information.  Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status -


https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=R6XKLHXQJ6YJY


all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. We hope you will consider making a donation to our appeal this year.  Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal here, at the "Donate" button on on our site, prisonist.org or by sending your check payable to: "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc." P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883.  We have enclosed an addressed envelope for your use. Thank you.


__________ 
 

If you, a friend or a family member are experiencing a white-collar or nonviolent incarceration issue, please contact us and we will promptly send you an information package by mail, email or via Dropbox.

The darkest days of a person's life can be a

time of renewal and hope

____________


Progressive Prison Project/  

Innocent Spouse & Children Project

Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096
(m) 203-339-5887
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Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org

(203) 536-5508


Rev. Fr. Joseph Ciccone, Ed D, M Div
Supervising Minister
stjosephmissionchurch@gmail.com
(201) 982-2206

Jacqueline Polverari, MBA, MSW, Advocate
Women's Incarceration Issues
jpolverari@prisonist.org
(203) 671-5139

George Bresnan, Advocate, Ex-Pats
gbresnan@prisonist.org
(203) 609-5088

Jim Gabal, Development
jgabal@prisonist.org
(203) 858-2865

Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact
mediababz@gmail.com
(203) 645-9278   

1 comment:

  1. Jeff, great that you are adding a men's support group to your list of services for white collar criminals and families. Please keep The White Collar Wives Club in mind when working with families. Our on-line support group is it's third year and we are now serving families internationally! Keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete