Prisonist.org: 2015 Report/Spring 2016 Appeal.

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News 

 

Prisonist.org:

2015 Report/Spring 2016 Appeal

 

Coming May 2016: Men of Faith

Cover Story

Dear Friends,

We hope this finds you well.  Thank you for your generosity and support in the past year.

2015 was a year of blessings and challenges in our ministry and lives.  We had a year of significant growth and meaningful outreach, and, too, Jeff was ill but has since recovered. Some highlights from the beginning of 2015 to date:

Speaking Engagements, Sermons, 

Articles and Interviews

Upcoming: Bridgeport Reentry Collaborative, Professional of the Year Award, April 29, 2016, Bridgeport, CT
 
Upcoming: Men of Faith Magazine, May/June 2016 Issue, Cover Story, New York, NY

The Hour, “Ministry Counsels People Who Committed White Collar Crimes,” Subject of Article, Norwalk, CT
 
Weston Kiwanis, Speakers, Weston, CT
 
Weston Forum, “Kiwanis Talk: Aftermath of White-Collar Crime,” Subject of Article, Weston, CT

Christ & Holy Trinity Church, Good Friday Sermon, Westport, CT
 
Emanuel Episcopal Church, Sermon, Weston, CT
 
Inc., “What Successful Entrepreneurs and Successful Criminals Have in Common,” , Subject of Article, New York, NY
 
Greenwich Sentinel, “A Worldly Fall, A Spiritual Ascent,” Subject of Article, Greenwich, CT
 
The Lisa Wexler Show, WGCH 1490 AM Greenwich CT, Radio Interview with Lisa Wexler, Greenwich, CT

LoveTalk, WNHH 103.5 FM New Haven CT, , Radio Interview with Babz Rawls Ivy, New Haven, CT

Making Rain, “White-Collar Criminality, Addiction and the Entrepreneur,” Subject of Article, New Rochelle, NY
 
The Vision, the Newspaper of the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, “White-Collar Ministry: From Riches-to-Rags-to-Redemption,” Article Author, New York, NY
 
Darby & Friends, WGCH 1490 AM Greenwich CT, Radio Interview with Darby Cartun, Greenwich, CT
 
Ready For Freedom?, Life After Prison In Connecticut, Speaker, Hartford Library, Hartford, CT
 
Bridgeport Reentry Collaborative, Bridgeport Reentry Advocate of the Year Award 2015, Bridgeport, CT
 
Greenwich Time, “Group Offers Help to Innocent Families,” Subject of Article, Greenwich, CT

The Brick Church Prison Ministry, Presenter, New York, NY
 
Podcast Interview with Michael Santos, Orange County, CA
 
Norfield Congregational Church, Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday Sermon, Weston, CT
 

Pastoral Care & Outreach

Direct Care to Individuals Accused or Convicted:  59

Direct care to Spouses & Families:  30 (does not include children or extended family members)

States of Service, Residence and/or Incarceration: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Virginia, Washington

We Received a Significant Grant to
Provide Assistance for Struggling Families

 

 

We are so grateful to the American Baptist Churches USA for awarding us a $2000 grant to provide one-time stipends to individuals or families with white-collar or nonviolent incarceration issues to be used for short-term expenses. Please feel free to email us if you require assistance. The funds will be administered by Jeff's Supervising Minister, Rev. Hopeton Scott of the First Baptist Church of Bridgeport.  Click here for more information.  

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 -

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.

Service

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. We are here to listen, help and provide coping and healing solutions.

Thank you again for your generosity and support.

Blessings, כן, מאוד

Jeff & Lynn

____________________

 

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
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Pinterest
Google+

Tumblr

Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org

(203) 536-5508

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

Prisonist.org: April '16 Newsletter

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News

Prisonist.org: 

April '16 Newsletter

Op-Ed to Gov. Malloy, 

ABCUSA Grant for Struggling Families, 

The Norwalk Hour, Family ReEntry, 

Grace Farms, The Nantucket Project, 

Christ & Holy Trinity Westport, 

Weston Kiwanis, More...

From: Rev. Jeff Grant, Director, Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project Prisonist.org: April '16 Newsletter

Progressive Prison Project/  Innocent Spouse & Children Project Faith & Dignity for the Days Ahead Coming May 2016: Men of Faith Cover Story  White-Collar Ministry I Advocacy I Service    The first ministry in the United States created to provide confidential support and counseling to individuals, families and organizations with white-collar and other nonviolent incarceration issues.    Op-Ed: To CT Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Our CT State Legislators   To read Jeff's Op-Ed responding to the CT's Plan to Cut Funding for Prisoner Reentry, Mental Health & Substance Abuse Treatment, please click here .  Grant: ABCUSA Has Awarded Us A Matthew 25 Grant To Help Struggling Families!    We are so grateful to the American Baptist Churches USA for awarding us a $2000 grant to provide one-time stipends to individuals or families with white-collar or nonviolent incarceration issues to be used for short-term expenses. Please feel free to email us if you require assistance. The funds will be administered by Jeff's Supervising Minister, Rev. Hopeton Scott of the First Baptist Church of Bridgeport.  Click here for more information.  Event: We spoke at the Weston CT Kiwanis We are grateful to the Weston Kiwanis for inviting us to speak about faith and dignity at its meeting on Sat., March 26, 2016. Click here to read the article about this event in the Weston Forum.   Article: Our Ministries Featured in The Hour To read Jeff Eydt's powerful article for The Hour of March 26, 2016, "Ministry Counsels People Who Committed White-Collar Crimes," please click here.    Sermon: We Guest Preached on Good Friday at Christ & Holy Trinity, Westport, CT We were honored to be among seven guest preachers at this special Good Friday service, March 25, 2016. Upcoming Event: 8 State Re-Entry Reintegration Conference  Please join us on May 6 & 7, 2016 in Stony Point, NY at this two-day faith-based conference centered on the trauma of incarceration as it relates to jobs, housing and family reintegration. We will be leading a white-collar breakout session. Organized, underwritten and sponsored by the Prison Ministry Network of the Synod of the Northeast of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Information: kent.mckamy@gmail.com. Click here to register.  Event: Family ReEntry Spring Event At Grace Farms  Please join us on Fri., June 10, 2016, at Grace Farms, New Canaan, CT, for "An Evening Focused On Advancing Justice In Our Community," to benefit Family ReEntry (Jeff is on the Board of Family ReEntry) and the Connecticut Legal Rights Project.  For information and sponsorship opportunities, please click here or contact Milena Kotara, 203-290-0863, milenakotara@familyreentry.org. Video: Jeff's Main-Stage Presentation At The Nantucket Project We are grateful to The Nantucket Project for its continuing support of our ministries. Click here to view Video of Jeff's Main-Stage Presentation. (17:27) Information Package:      We are the first ministry in the United States created to provide confidential support and counseling to individuals, families and organizations with white-collar and other nonviolent incarceration issues. Please click here for our full information package. Donations: Thank You For Your Support & Generosity! We are grateful for all donations made to our ministries. Donations can be made by Credit Card/PayPal or by sending your check payable to: "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc." P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883.  We are a CT Religious Corp. with 501(c)(3) status - all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.    Contact Information:   If transformation and redemption matter to you, a friend or a family member with 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. Prisonist.org: Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project are missions of Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.   Mailing Address:  P.O. Box 1232  Weston, Connecticut 06883  (o) 203-769-1096 Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director jgrant@prisonist.org (m) 203-339-5887  Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr  Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouses & Children lspringer@prisonist.org  (m) 203-536-5508 George Bresnan, Advocate, Ex-Pats  gbresnan@prisonist.org  (m) 203-609-5088 Jim Gabal, Development  jgabal@prisonist.org  (m) 203-858-2865 Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact  mediababz@gmail.com  (m) 203-645-9278 Faith & Dignity for the Days Ahead

The Hour: Ministry Counsels People Who Committed White-Collar Crimes, By Jeff Eydt - Hour Staff Writer

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News 

 

The Hour: Ministry Counsels People 

Who Committed White-Collar Crimes

By Jeff Eydt - Hour Staff Writer

Reprinted from The Hour, March 26, 2016

WESTON -- Rev. Jeff Grant and his wife, Lynn Springer, held a seminar to provide support and counseling to individuals and families with white-collar and nonviolent incarceration issues at Norfield Congregational Church, held by the Weston Kiwanis Club on Saturday morning.

After serving 14 months in a federal prison, Grant gives spiritual and practical advice to those in need based on his own experiences.

"Our job is to try and reach people who are suffering in silence," said Grant, minister and director of the Progressive Prison Project. "I provide one-on-one pastoral counseling for the men (who are serving their sentences) and my wife Lynn supports the families going through these tough times."

Grant and Springer are an outreach ministry who work with Norfield Congregational Church in Weston, the Christ Church in Greenwich and the First Baptist Church in Bridgeport.

"We try to change the mindset of these families," said Springer, founding advocate for the Innocent Spouse & Children Project. "These people come from very privileged lives. We try to get these families to find gratitude in their situations, and we work on that a lot."

Springer also helps the families with practical information because once the men are sentenced, the families are (usually) left without the breadwinner. She instructs them on using food banks and other services.

"We help people all over the country. If they are close by, we invite them to our house," said Springer. "We are like one family. One Christmas, we had a family over and we helped them make Christmas presents for their kids ... We try to shift them into a loving life in a different way, where they are grateful for a new day -- which can be quite a contrast since there's no more jetting off to the Bahamas or St. Barts."

Grant has been a guest preacher at the Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Westport and the Emmanuel Episcopal in Weston.

"Part of my one-on-one pastoral counseling involves prison readiness," said Grant. "Not only do I do the spiritual side, but I also counsel them on the pragmatic side: how to navigate the system and try to help them get a career afterwards. I also help teach them how to handle themselves (in prison) -- what to talk about and what not to talk about."

Grant and Springer emphasize that they try to teach these people that they need to treat these experiences as transformative and periods of growth, instead of punishments.

"We want these people to build their own rehabilitation program," said Springer. "

Grant was sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison for making false statements on the SBA 9/11 loan application -- low-interest loans for businesses that had been adversely affected by the terrorist attack. Grant was a corporate and real estate lawyer for a firm located in Mamaroneck, N.Y. He applied for the loan because of the shame and guilt he felt towards his struggling business, as well as his escalating addiction to painkillers. On Easter Sunday of 2006, he reported to Allenwood Low Security Corrections Institution in White Deer, Penn.

"I got a reduced sentence for my service work," said Grant. "I made full restitution of the money that was loaned."
Grant turned to the ministry when he was released from prison, after a recommendation from Rev. Chris Tate at the Second Congregational Church in Greenwich.

"There is a lot of suffering for these fathers and families, and they could be living right down the street and you'd never know," said Grant. "We try to show passion and empathy to their struggle and help them through it."

The Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project is the first ministry in the U.S. created to provide confidential support and counseling for white-collar and other non-violent incarceration issues.

For more information about Grant and Springer or for people going through a similar situation, visit their website for Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project at prisonist.org or call them at (203) 769-1096.

_________

DONATIONS 

We are grateful for all donations to our Ministries that enable us to grow, reach out and serve this community for which there is far too little understanding, compassion and empathy.  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. 

Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status - all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Thank you for your support and generosity.

__________

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
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Pinterest
Google+

Tumblr

Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org

(203) 536-5508

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

Weston Forum: Kiwanis Talk, Aftermath of White Collar Crime

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News

Weston Forum: Kiwanis Talk

Aftermath of White-Collar Crime

Reprinted from Weston Forum, March 24, 2016 

in Lead News, People · 0 Comments

A man who served more than a year in a federal prison for a white-collar crime committed during his career as a lawyer will speak to the Kiwanis Club of Weston on Saturday, March 26, at Norfield Congregational Church, Parish Hall.

The Kiwanis meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. Breakfast will be served and members of the public are welcome.

Rev. Jeff Grant and his wife Lynn Springer will discuss their work with the Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project.

With offices in Weston, the Progressive Prison Project/Innocent Spouse & Children Project is the first ministry in the United States created to provide confidential support and pastoral counseling to individuals, families and organizations with white-collar and other nonviolent incarceration issues.

After serving nearly 14 months for a crime committed during his career as a lawyer, Grant earned a master of divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York. He has served on a number of criminal justice related boards including Family ReEntry, Community Partners in Action, and Healing Communities Network.

He has also served on the editorial board of the book, The Justice Imperative: How Hyper- Incarceration Has Hijacked the American Dream, and on the advisory board of Creative Projects Group. 

He was the recipient of the Elizabeth Bush Award for volunteerism and the Bridgeport ReEntry Collaborative Advocate of the Year Award ’13, ’14 and ’15.

JustLeadershipUSA recognized Grant as one of 15 national leaders in criminal justice.

Lynn Springer is the founding advocate of the Innocent Spouse & Children Project.

As the innocent partner of a white-collar criminal, and a mother, Lynn is called to this ministry with a heart of compassion and understanding. She assists women and families in finding ethical ways through faith and practical solutions to a new, sturdy, healthy way of life. 

She has served as curriculum consultant and essay reader at Friends of Nick, a NYC faith-based foundation created to build character and integrity in underprivileged inner city youth; as a member of the board of directors of Pathways; and on the board of the International AIDS Charitable Foundation.

She has served as a deacon at the Second Congregational Church of Greenwich.

The Kiwanis Club of Weston sponsors a variety of programs and events to raise money for local organizations. The club’s membership is open to all men and women residing or working in the area. For more information, visit westonkiwanis.org.

_____

DONATIONS

 
We are grateful for all donations to our Ministries that enable us to grow, reach out and serve this community for which there is far too little understanding, compassion and empathy.  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. 

Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status - all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Thank you for your support and generosity.

__________

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
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Pinterest
Google+

Tumblr

Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org

(203) 536-5508

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