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News Release

HHS AWARDS NEARLY $9 MILLION TO SUPPORT
MENTORING PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN OF PRISONERS

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced nearly $9 million in grants to 52 organizations to train adult volunteers as mentors to children whose parents are incarcerated. These grants are part of President Bush's plan to provide mentors for disadvantaged youth to help them as they grow into adulthood.

"Mentors offer love, guidance and encouragement to the children they connect with," Secretary Thompson said. "This program will give children whose parents are incarcerated the support they need as they face the day-to-day challenges of growing up."

Between 1991 and 1999, the number of children with a parent in a federal or state correctional facility increased by more than 100 percent, from about 900,000 to about 2,000,000. Fewer than 50 percent of prisoners receive regular visits from their children, either because the children's caregiver chooses not to visit or because the distance is prohibitive. Studies show that children with incarcerated parents have a seven times greater chance than the general population to become incarcerated themselves.

The grantee organizations will receive referrals from parents, caretakers, schools, courts, social services agencies or religious organizations. They will train and match mentors with children from age four to 15. They will also screen all potential mentors for child and domestic abuse and other criminal history.

Mentors will be required to make at least a one-year commitment and to meet at least once weekly with his or her child. They will also be encouraged to form a relationship with the whole family in order to ease the transition when the incarcerated parent is released. The grantees will monitor and assist the mentors on an ongoing basis.

"I believe this is one of the most important set of grants we will award this year," said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., assistant secretary for children and families. "Connecting young people whose parents are in prison with mentors at this critical time in their lives should really make a lasting positive difference."

This list of grantees and the amount of their awards follow:

MENTORING CHILDREN OF PRISONERS FISCAL YEAR 2003 GRANTEES
Organization	City	State	Award
Alabama Attorney General's Office	Montgomery	AL	$461,568
Center For Youth and Families, Inc	Little Rock	AR	$525,000
MatchPoint of Arizona, Inc.	Phoenix	AZ	$75,000
Pima Prevention Partnership	Tucson	AZ	$195,000
Centerforce, Inc	San Rafael	CA	$70,000
Governor's Office of Criminal Justice Planning	Sacramento	CA	$270,000
Northern Valley Catholic Social Services	Redding	CA	$120,000
Path of Life Ministries	Riverside	CA	$480,000
San Diego Youth and Community Services, Inc	San Diego	CA	$150,000
Denver County Area Youth Services	Denver	CO	$100,000
Governor's Partnership to Protect Connecticut; Workforce, Inc.	Hartford	CT	$225,000
Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters	Hartford	CT	$270,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of DE, Inc	Wilmington	DE	$82,500
Hawaii Youth Services Network	Honolulu	HI	$165,000
Franklin Williamson Human Services, Inc	West Frankfort	IL	$75,000
Indiana Behavioral Health Choices, Inc.	Indianapolis	IN	$172,500
YMCA of Greater Louisville	Louisville	KY	$52,500
Community Service Center, Inc.	New Orleans	LA	$62,500
Breaking the Chains Foundation	Hyattsville	MD	$120,000
Center for Children	LaPlata	MD	$47,044
US Dream Academy, Inc.	Columbia	MD	$420,000
Volunteers of America Northern New England	Brunswick	ME	$120,000
Alternatives for Girls	Detroit	MI	$100,000
Volunteers in Prevention, Probation, and Prisons, Inc	Detroit	MI	$240,000
Search Institute	Minneapolis	MN	$150,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri	St. Louis	MO	$193,500
Missoula County	Missoula	MT	$60,000
Montana Human Resources Development Council Directors	Bozeman	MT	$112,500
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte	Charlotte	NC	$238,500
Chatham County Together!	Pittsboro	NC	$30,000
Girl Scouts of Rolling Hills Council	North Branch	NJ	$60,000
San Juan County Partnership, Inc.	Farmington	NM	$200,000
Center For Community Alternatives, Inc	Syracuse	NY	$150,000
Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families	New York	NY	$75,000
The Osborne Association, Inc	Long Island City	NY	$75,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Central Ohio, Inc.	Columbus	OH	$256,932
Little Dixie Community Action Agency	Hugo	OK	$60,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Portland	Portland	OR	$105,000
Committed Partners for Youth	Eugene	OR	$75,000
Deschutes County	Bend	OR	$62,500
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern PA	Philadelphia	PA	$450,000
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Bucks County, Inc	Jamison	PA	$82,000
Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation	Pittsburgh	PA	$180,000
The Salvation Army, a New York Corporation	Philadelphia	PA	$95,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters, Alamo Area	San Antonio	TX	$487,500
City of Longview	Longview	TX	$175,000
Montgomery County Youth Services, Inc	Conroe	TX	$75,000
South Plains Community Action Association, Inc.	Levelland	TX	$90,000
Center For Multicultural Human Services	Falls Church	VA	$100,000
Girl Scouts-Totem Council	Seattle	WA	$67,500
Volunteers of America Western Washington	Everett	WA	$165,000
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Milwaukee	Milwaukee	WI	$400,000
Total Awarded:			$8,869,544

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: October 3, 2003