November 12 was a day of celebration for 17 graduates of our class inside Grafton Correctional Institution. The men in this class learn the very same curriculum and skills as our students at Shaker Square do over the course of nine months – class just takes place inside!
Our heartiest congratulations to Mr. Logan, Mr. Ferstler, Mr. Deal, Mr. Dang, Mr. Berry, Mr. Bower, Mr. Feiler, Mr. Snelling, Mr. Klocek, Mr. Lee, Mr. Parritt, Mr. Bittel, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Powell, Mr. Fields, Mr. Shropshire and Mr. Torres.
To commemorate their accomplishments, EDWINS Director of Culinary Education, Gerry Grim, Director of Education, Jon Khanna, and Sous Chef, Kyle Fioretti, brought in the ingredients for a decadent feast of lobster, filet mignon and foie gras that the graduates then prepared and enjoyed together.
Ordinarily, cameras are not allowed in correctional facilities, but the ODRC was kind enough to capture some memories for us. These pictures are courtesy of photographers at the H.O.P.E. (Helping Ohio Prisoners Excel!) Channel, Ohio’s re-entry television network that is available for inmates.
After dinner was served, EDWINS staff handed out diplomas, letters of recommendation and well wishes.
When these EDWINS graduates are released, they can enroll at the Shaker Square institute. Or, if they prefer, we will help them find employment right away and they can move into our alumni house.
We are especially proud that of our 92 graduates from the Grafton program, 13 have been released and to date none have returned to prison. So much of a returning citizen’s success relies upon having meaningful work, and the skills and professional network they gain from the EDWINS program eliminate employment challenges.
We have to express our thanks to Todd Ishee, LaShann Eppinger, Adam Kastler, Ron Armbruster, Richard Roddick, and all at Grafton Correctional Institute and ODRC who go out of their way to help EDWINS and our students.
We also have several facilitators at Grafton who are alumni of the EDWINS program, and we truly appreciate the care and commitment that Mr. Boswell, Mr. Nagy, and Mr. Lanham dedicate to the class. Of course, our sincerest thanks to the Nordson Corporation Foundation for funding this invaluable program.
There most important thing for any inmate is hope, and all of those who work with EDWINS to carry out these classes are truly changing lives.