Spiritual Direction
We recently celebrated our organization's 24th year! See our milestones here.
Restoring Connections' Formation Program for Spiritual Directors emphasizes a commitment to spiritual direction services and retreat services for people in poverty, in prison, in shelters, and in group homes. With over 20 years of serving people who struggle with significant trauma and who often suffer from mental illness and addiction, Restoring Connections provides service opportunities for spiritual directors in the prison setting, with women in re-entry, with people who are homeless, families in transition, and soul care for everyone.
Making Choices
Women in prison and during re-entry are among the most neglected members of our society. Restoring Connections responds to their needs with Making Choices, a mentoring program that fosters the development of decision-making and life skills. Volunteer mentors are business and professional women who receive training and ongoing support in their important coaching role with women who are incarcerated or recently released. Beyond basic decision-making skills, the Making Choices program encourages personal responsibility, stronger families, social engagement and leadership development. Mentors and former offenders work together on public education programs and advocacy efforts. The impact of Making Choices is demonstrated in the 92% of graduates who have re-entered the community successfully, as gainfully employed and contributing members of society.
Colorado's prison population grew 604% since 1980 while the population of the state grew 59%. The Department of Corrections budget is $703 million up from $70 million in 1985. Currently 45 people a day are admitted to prison in Colorado. Sixty-five percent of incarcerated women are mothers of children under 18.
This reality has drastic effects on the next generation. Children of incarcerated women are 5-6 times more likely to become incarcerated than other children who live in poverty but whose mothers were never incarcerated.
Making Choices is making a difference:
Since its beginning in August 1999, Making Choices has mentored more than 700 women.
Nearly 90% of the women who complete Making Choices successfully re-enter society, remain crime free and become contributing citizens.
Without Making Choices, only 48% of women offenders successfully re-enter society.
It costs Colorado taxpayers $40,000 per year to incarcerate one woman.
It costs the Center for Spirituality at Work $1,400 to mentor one woman.
Given our success rate, Making Choices saves Colorado taxpayers over $1 million each year.
Making Choices volunteers have assisted the mothers of more than 2,500 children in making the effective changes necessary to provide stable homes, making it less likely that their children will end up in prison in the future.