There may be ex-wives but there are no ex-children. That's the philosophy of a new parenting project at the Auburn Correctional Facility, which is searching for volunteers for its program.

Calvin Green, an AmericorpsVISTA volunteer in charge of the program, said he was looking for at least three local volunteers to help staff the project, which was adapted from a Fort Drum program to help soldiers in Iraq maintain a positive role in their children's lives.

“There are similar circumstances with both programs.” Green said, as he spoke about the prison and Fort Drum projects.

“The father may be away from home but fact is he still has a role. This program will help them to better understand their role in the family and see that they can still have an impact in their child's life even when they are in prison.”

While there are similarities, Green pointed out Auburn's program will be working with

prisoners instead of soldiers. And even though these men are incarcerated, Green said, it was important for the prisoners to learn they could still raise a healthy responsible child.

“The hope is it will affect (the parent's) desire to have their children pick better lives and not make the same mistakes they made,” Green said. “There is also some indication that the programs decrease recidivism.”

A study conducted from 2004 to 2006 by the state Department of Correction Services found that inmates who participated in prison programs before being released were less likely to commit another crime.

The study showed that 35 percent of prisoners who did not complete a prison program re-offended within 24 months after being released. That number dropped down to 28 percent of prisoners re-offending if they did complete a program.

But before Auburn's parenting project can take effect, Green said he needed more volunteers to staff the three main parts of the program.

“We have four tentative volunteers but I need seven total,” Green said. “I have three interested in teaching the parenting classes and one interested in working at the children's corner and no one for the hospitality center.”

Green said he will teach the initial parenting classes while he trains volunteers to replace him. Before a volunteer can teach a parenting class they need to complete a 4 week seminar. After completing the bi-weekly, 3 hour seminars the volunteer would then set up their class.

Volunteers could have one class a week for 12 weeks or host two classes a week for 6 weeks depending on their schedule, Green said.

Prisoners who volunteer for the 20 to 30 hour long class will learn how the program benefits their children and themselves, Green said. The men will also participate in discussions and learn techniques that will help nurture their children.

“They will become aware of how important their roll is,” Green said. “They will become aware through sharing their own experiences with each other, which is the best way for them to learn.”

And when the prisoners do get to see their children they would be in the children's corner where there would be games and toys.

“If the children are not creatively engaged they will become bored and idle,” Green said, adding it could have a negative impact on the child's desire to visit their father.

Volunteers for the children's corner and the hospitality center, which is a place guests can stay while they wait to get into the prison, would be needed on weekends to handle the increase number of visitors. Green said he hoped to get people to volunteer for 7 hours a day on both Saturday and Sunday, but would be flexible if people could not work that long.

Terry Richey, a regional coordinator for volunteer services and VISTA manager, said the overall goal was to make the program self-sufficient after Green's VISTA term ended.

As a VISTA, Green's job is to build a nonprofit organization that would continue to impact the community after he left because of the work the volunteers put in.

“This project is all about strengthening family ties and building family support,” Richey said. “After a year we should be able to continue this program without the VISTA.”

Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net

To volunteer

For: Auburn Correctional Facility's Parenting Project

Call: 253-8401 ext. 4319 or

716-812-4471 or email: ag721476@adelphia.net