NewsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 5, 2011 Capito Announces $2,351,675 Family Assistance Grant WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, R.W.Va., today announced that the Kanawha Institute for Social Research & Action, INC. (KISRA) has been awarded $2,351,675 by the Department of Health and Human Services. The money will go toward the “West Virginia Pathways To Responsible Fatherhood Initiative.” “This very generous grant will help KISRA achieve their goal to serve and empower West Virginians through education, employment, economic empowerment and behavioral health initiatives. KISRA has been a leader in West Virginia when it comes to providing much-needed assistance to fathers who want to become more involved in their children’s lives. I appreciate KISRA’s service to our community and look forward to hearing about the success this grant will help them realize,” stated Capito. ### |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Chase Grants KISRA $45,000 for Refuge Center The JPMorgan Chase Foundation today granted $45,000 to the Kanawha Institute for Social Research & Action, Inc. (KISRA) to support the KISRA Refuge Center located in Dunbar, West Virginia. "At JPMorgan Chase, our goal is simple: to be a catalyst for meaningful, positive and sustainable change in our communities. The KISRA Refuge Center is making a real difference in West Virginia," said Ron Beane, President of Chase in West Virginia. The KISRA Refuge Center has two goals: 1) To assist non-violent, non-sexual offenders in Kanawha County with forming long-term attachments to the labor market so that our communities will be safer and our state will realize savings on the costs of incarceration; and 2) To provide friendship relationships to adults who are being treated for mental illnesses or emotional issues so that they will not be unnecessarily hospitalized and our state will realize savings on the costs of mental health hospitalizations. "We're thankful for partners like the JPMorgan Chase Foundation who invest in organizations like ours, in order to strengthen the people and communities of West Virginia," said Rt. Rev. Emanuel Heyliger, KISRA Board Chair. The services at the Refuge Center are greatly needed. The average yearly inmate population in the WV Division of Corrections (DOC) was 4,671 in 2003 and steadily increased by 34% to 6,250 in 2009. As of June 30, 2010 the parole caseload for the state was 2,374. Kanawha County had the highest caseload (261). A 2010 recidivism study showed that of the 1,782 offenders who were released in 2006, the recidivism rate for those returning to the custody of the DOC within 3 years was 30%. Finally, the annual cost to incarcerate someone in the DOC is $24,266. Furthermore, many area residents receive in-patient treatment for mental illnesses at state-run mental health hospitals. Many of these hospitals have been reported to have overcrowding problems that often result in 45 to 63 diversions per day to private hospitals. The cost of treating a patient at a state-run facility is about $500 per day compared to as much as $1,200 per day at other facilities. The services at the KISRA Refuge Center are designed to reduce recidivism to prison and mental health hospitals and thereby save the state on the costs of incarceration and mental health hospitalizations. KISRA will provide a one-stop center where participants can receive services in the following areas: Workforce readiness; Job placement; Mentoring; Financial fitness; and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The Compeer model will also be implemented and persons who have mental illnesses will be linked with AmeriCorps members and other volunteers who will mentor them for at least one year. Volunteers will also provide hands-on group learning opportunities for program participants. About Chase: ### |
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 Dunbar nonprofit to open free family clinic July 29, 2011 DUNBAR, W.Va. -- For more than a decade, the faith-based Kanawha Institute for Social Research and Action has offered financial counseling and educational support services to thousands of West Virginians. Next week, it will add a family planning clinic to its list of programs. The KISRA Family Planning Clinic is scheduled to open Monday at the nonprofit organization's Dunbar location, and will offer residents free and low-cost contraceptives, STD testing and counseling, in addition to physicals and other health services. read the full article at the Charleston Gazette |
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KISRA News - Dr. Michelle Foster awarded PCAWV Community Leadership Award. June 7, 2011 On June 7, 2011, CEO Dr. Michelle Foster received the Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia (PCAWV) Community Leadership Award on behalf of KISRA. The award ceremony was held at the Charleston Town Center Marriott as a part of the PCAWV Leadership Institute. KISRA Newsletter - October - December 2010 EDUCATION INITIATIVES In order to better serve the community, HCDC continues to provide Pre-K classes as part of the Kanawha County Schools network. Pre-K registration for the 2011-2012 school year will begin in January. Call 304.768.4232 for more information or to register for Pre-K classes or to check availability in the other age groups. You can also visit HCDC's website at www.harambeecdc.com. Harambee Learning Center At the end of the first nine weeks, 5 HLC students earned a place on the "A" honor roll, 11 on the "B" honor roll, and 1 on the Principal's List! Congratulations to those students on their hard work! Harambee Teen Achievers Harambee Teen Achievers held its first meeting of the year on November 20 at the KISRA Empowerment Center and will continue to meet on scheduled Saturdays. A college tour to Washington DC is being planned for Spring Break week 2011. A tour of the city including the White House is also being planned. The next meeting will be held on Saturday, January 15 at 12 noon at the Empowerment Center. Contact Angela Dobson at 304.768.8929 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVES The Responsible Fatherhood Program has expanded services to the South Central Regional Jail and Kanawha Day Report Center in Charleston. Staff continue to offer programming at KISRA's Dunbar, Charleston, and Huntington sites, as well as at the Huntington Work Release and the Slayton Work Camp at Mount Olive Correctional Complex. Program enrollment is ongoing. Contact Carl Chadband at 304.768.8924 ext. 208 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for assistance. Offender Re-Entry Program KISRA sponsored a Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) Assessment training late this summer, and a number of staff are now certified to administer this assessment of an offender's risks and needs. KISRA also became an Offender Employment Specialist (OES) certified agency in October, and received an appreciation award from the Charleston Work Release Center for services offered at their location. Re-Entry staff attended the International Community Corrections Association's 18th Annual Research Conference on "What Works" in Louisville, KY from October 31-November 3. Spending time with leaders in the re-entry field affirmed KISRA's plans to continue pursuing evidenced-based practices and effective risk assessment to provide the best possible services to those in our Offender Re-Entry Program. The Re-Entry Mentoring program is also recruiting volunteer mentors at this time, to be matched with formerly incarcerated persons needing support in the community. For more information on the Re-Entry Mentoring program, contact William Lipscomb at 304.768.8924 ext. 209 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For more information on the Offender Re-Entry Program, contact Carl Chadband at 304.768.8924 ext. 208 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . KISRAWorks! A Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Training will begin early in 2011. For more information or to register, contact Traci Johnson at 304.768.8924 ext. 200 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVES WVIDA Financial Education make-up classes are scheduled for February 2011 for first-year participants. New Financial Education classes will begin in March. Also, Micro-Loan/WVIDA Information Sessions will be held in Mercer and Raleigh counties on January 28. Homeownership Micro-Loans A Business Plan Development class is scheduled to begin during the latter part of January 2011. Also, Micro-Loan/WVIDA Information Sessions will be held in Mercer and Raleigh counties on January 28. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INITIATIVES Referrals are currently being accepted for adult participants in mental health recovery for the Compeer program. Referrals may be made to the program by mental health practitioners, group homes, social workers, or case managers. Compeer of Kanawha Valley will then match caring volunteers with the referred individual. Our hope is that these supportive friendships will give participants a feeling of being connected to their community, encourage socialization, overall well being and improvements in recovery. These friendships give hope, hope to living well. KISRA AmeriCorps KISRA AmeriCorps members have organized a Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute for January 14, 2011, from 5-7pm, at First Baptist Church on Shrewsbury Street in Charleston. Also, they have scheduled a Community Awareness event for March 23, 2011, from 10am-12pm, at the Switzer Center in North Charleston to highlight local community services available. The program is also collaborating with local agencies that provide mental health services to identify sites where AmeriCorps members can volunteer their time. Please contact Season Lewis at 304.768.8924 x202 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if your organization is interested, or for other information about this initiative. Thanks for Your Support 2010 Funders Impact Report The impacts of our services were captured in our first Impact Report which was published in October. Click here for a copy!KISRA Newsletter - January - September 2010 EDUCATION INITIATIVESHarambee Child Development Center Our Harambee Child Development Center (HCDC) is in its 6th year of operation. HCDC continues to provide quality childcare to parents, as well as maintain and create jobs in the community. KISRA received a Business on Board with Childcare Award this year as a result of the services provided through HCDC. At HCDC, we believe that academic success begins in pre-school. With thirteen graduates, HCDC had its largest Pre-K graduation class this year! We are thankful to Kanawha County Schools for including us in the Pre-K network. Being a part of this network has built our capacity to provide even higher quality service to our community. As of August 31, the 2010-11 Pre-K class was full. There are, however, slots available in the other age groups. For more information about HCDC, checkout www.harambeecdc.com or call 304.768.HCDC (4232). Verbie Ann Helyger is the director and Maria Terrell is the assistant director of the Harambee Child Development Center. Harambee Learning Center The Harambee Learning Center (HLC) continues to offer the following program elements: Homework Assistance; Tutoring; Mentoring; Literacy Enrichment; Math Enrichment; Computer literacy; Too Good For Drugs & Violence Curriculum; Second Step Curriculum to K-6th grade students. Seventy four children were served in the 2009-10 school year and during Harambee Energy Express Plus. Evaluation results for the school year revealed improvements in academic performance and attitude towards school. The Harambee Honors program was held on May 27. Twenty nine students were honored for good behavior, good attitude, overall improvement and academic achievement. The 2010-11 program year began on August 23. The Center adjusted the age group served to Kindergarten through 5th grade. All the staff for this year are returning from last year and they are Mary Williams, Donnetta Dailey, Sam Williams, Debra Lipscomb, Dorothy Setzer and Danny Dyess. It is wonderful to have stable, mature staff who naturally provide inter-generational mentoring to our children. We are thankful to our parents, the Safe and Drug Free Communities Program (US Dept. of Ed), Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Program, The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and WVU Extension Services for their continued support of the Harambee Learning Center. We look forward to another exciting year at HLC as we provide an after-school, safe and drug-free haven (Harambee Learning Center) for children who attend Kanawha County Schools so that they will be less likely to develop adolescent problem behaviors like substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, school dropout, and violence. There are just a few openings available at the center. Angela Dobson is the program director and she can be reached at 304.768.8929 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information. EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVES Responsible Fatherhood Program The Responsible Fatherhood Program staff continues to offer programming at Dunbar, Charleston, Huntington, Slayton Work Camp (Mount Olive Correctional Facility) and the Huntington Work Release Center. KISRA is the only organization in West Virginia that is funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Family Assistance to conduct fatherhood programs in West Virginia. Support from the state of West Virginia is being sought to expand this initiative to other counties. Over 100 persons have been served through August 31 in the current program year. Program evaluation continues with Dr. Jolan Rivera and his team. The evaluation report covering the 2006 to 2010 program years will be available in November 2010. KISRA plans additional research on non-custodial fathers in West Virginia in the coming year. Program enrollment is ongoing. Contact: Carl Chadband at 304.768.8924x208 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . KISRAWorks! The KISRAWorks! Program served 46 WIA-eligible persons between August 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. The program offered job readiness, life management, financial fitness, computer literacy, and A+ certification training. The new grant year started on July 1. The focus during this grant year is on Microsoft Office Specialist Certification, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Personal Care Attendant (PCA) training in partnership with the Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College. The Microsoft certification training is ongoing. The free CNA and PCA training will begin on November 1, 2010. Interested persons should contact Traci Johnson at 304.768.8924 x200 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . KISRAWorks! is funded by Workforce West Virginia/Governor's Set Aside Funds. Offender Re-Entry The KISRA Offender Re-Entry Program was launched in October 2009 in Kanawha, Cabell and Raleigh Counties with funding from a Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) and US Department of Justice, Second Chance Act Grant. The primary goal of this initiative is to reduce recidivism among ex-offenders by helping them to gain employment and to increase public safety. Program elements include job readiness, life management, computer literacy, financial fitness, job training and placement and mentoring. The program expanded to Mercer and Fayette counties in August with additional JAG funding. Over 239 persons have been served as of August 31, 2010. Contact: Carl Chadband at 304.768.8924x208 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVES IDA Program KISRA launched the WV Individual Development Account Initiative (WVIDA) in October 2009 in partnership with the WV Coalition Against Domestic Violence and its member programs. The goal of the WVIDA Initiative is to equip low-income citizens of West Virginia with skills and resources to acquire appreciable assets as they travel on the path to becoming economically self-sufficient. Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) are matched savings accounts designed to help low-income and low-wealth families accumulate savings for high return investments in long-term assets such as a home, higher education and training or a business. In an IDA Program participants learn about budgeting, saving, banking and more when they open an IDA. Participants also attend financial education classes and also receive one-on-one counseling and other training with their IDAs. A person can participate in the program for up to two years. The WVIDA offers a savings match. A savings match is a promise to supplement a WVIDA participant's savings deposits at a specific rate – 3 to 1. This means that for every dollar a participant saves, he or she will have another $3 added to his or her total account balance. The maximum match a participant can receive is $4,000. The minimum monthly savings amount is $25. This program is limited to West Virginians who have adjusted gross incomes less that 200% of the federal poverty guidelines and net worth less than $10,000 (excludes primary residence and a vehicle). Program enrollment is ongoing. Funders for the WVIDA include the USDHHS/Assets For Independence, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, JP Morgan Chase Foundation, Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, Charleston Urban Renewal Authority and WV Alliance for Sustainable Families. Contact: Patricia Scott at 304.768.8924x203 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Homeownership KISRA continues to offer pre-purchase counseling, homebuyer education workshops, credit counseling, mortgage pre-qualifications and foreclosure prevention counseling. To celebrate National Homeownership month in June, KISRA partnered with BB&T Bank to offer free credit reports and counseling at Shawnee Park in Institute aboard the BB&T bus. KISRA is a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) and is currently taking applications for homes in Kanawha and Putnam counties. CHDO homes are for income-eligible citizens. The homeownership program receives funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the WV Housing Development Fund. To participate in this program please contact Patricia Scott at 304.768.8924x203 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Micro-Loans KISRA became the only US Small Business Administration micro-lender in West Virginia in January 2010. Loans up to $50,000 are available to businesses all around the state. We look beyond your credit score. Loans may be used for working capital, inventory, supplies, equipment, furniture, fixtures, machinery and renovations. Contact: Patricia Scott at 304.768.8924x203 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it BEHAVIORAL HEALTH KISRA was awarded funding by the WV Department of Health and Human Resources to develop the Compeer of Kanawha Valley initiative. Compeer is a research-based model with chapters around the world. KISRA is one of two chapters in West Virginia. Compeer of Kanawha Valley matches caring volunteers with adults in mental health recovery. Our hope is that these supportive friendships will give participants a feeling of being connected to their community, encourage socialization, overall well being and improvements in recovery. These friendships give hope, hope to living well. Being a friend is easy. All it takes is just 4 hours a month. The friendship a volunteer provides helps to enhance the participant's socialization skills and confidence just by doing things both friends enjoy, like playing basketball, going out for coffee, going bowling, or just visiting at home. Season Lewis is the program coordinator and she is guided by a knowledgeable advisory team of mental health professionals. KISRA also received an AmeriCorps grant from the WV Commission for National and Community Service to support this initiative. The initiative was officially launched on May 19, 2010. AmeriCorps members will come on board in October. Contact Season Lewis at 304.768.8924 x202 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information about this initiative. Volunteers and AmeriCorps are needed! STRENGTHENING FAMILIES CONFERENCE Our 2010 Strengthening Families in West Virginia Conference was our best conference ever! A special thank you to all the conference attendees who spent September 17th with us at the West Virginia State University Wilson Student Union. Thank you to all of our presenters and to Judge Penny Reynolds, our keynote speaker. This year we added a funders panel to the breakfast plenary and we thank the panelists from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, US Department of Housing and Urban Development and WV Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Children and families for their participation. Thank you also to the WV Prevention Resource Center for processing the Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for the attendees. Click here for a link to the conference book to get a glimpse of the workshops and presenters. Will Price, our photographer, captured many great images from the event.
Click here to see more of these photos. What did attendees think about the conference? Below are some of the comments from the evaluations:
Certified Nursing Assistant/Personal Care Attendant Training: Starting November 1, 2010 Homebuyer Education Classes: November 16 at 5:00 pm at the Dunbar location. OTHER KISRA LOCATIONS East End Family Resource Center 502 Ruffner Avenue Charleston, WV 25311 304- 389-1750 Programs offered at this site: Responsible Fatherhood and Offender Re-Entry Douglass Center 1448 10th Avenue, Suite 205 Huntington, WV 25701 304-529-0337 Programs offered at this site: Responsible Fatherhood, Offender Re-Entry, IDA and Homeownership. Region 1 WORKFORCE West Virginia Career Center 200 New River Town Center Beckley, WV 25801 304.890.9588 Program offered at this site: Offender Re-Entry Region 1 WORKFORCE West Virginia Career Center 195 Davis Street Princeton, WV 24740 Program offered at this site: Offender Re-Entry The Lewis House 214 Main Street Oak Hill, WV 25901 304.890.8306 Program offered at this site: Offender Re-Entry Strengthening Families in West Virginia Conference Friday, September 17, 2010 Theme: Sustaining our families through Education, Employment, and Economic Empowerment Micro-Loan Program KISRA is the only organization to become a certified statewide lender under the U.S. Small Business Administration's micro loan program. WVIDA Launch The Kanawha Institute for Social Research & Action, Inc (KISRA), WV Coalition Against Domestic Violence, YWCA Resolve Family Abuse Program, SAFE, Family Refuge Center and BB&T Bank are joining forces for the WV Individual Development Account (WVIDA) Initiative. IDAs, or Individual Development Accounts, are special matched savings accounts designed to help families and individuals of modest means establish a pattern of regular saving and, ultimately, purchase a "productive asset." WVIDA participants, who will be victims of domestic violence and low income citizens, will use their savings and match money toward any of three productive assets: a home, a small business or a post-secondary education. Participants will receive $3 in match money for every $1 saved. Funding for this initiative has been secured from the Office of Community Services/Assets for Independence, Charleston Urban Renewal Authority, Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation and WV Alliance for Sustainable Families. The initiative will be launched on Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at 10:00 am at BB&T Bank, 6th floor dining room, 300 Summers Street, Charleston. Contact Carol Carroll at 304.340.3573 to RSVP for the launch. Feel free to contact Michelle Foster at 304.768.8924 x204 for more information about this initiative. KISRA Cookbooks availablePlease contact Ms. Traci Mosley if you would like to purchase a "Cookin' with KISRA" Cookbook (304) 768-8924 x200. Pre-K Round-up!Pre-K Round Up - Harambee Child Development Center is now enrolling children for the 2009-2010 Free Pre-K class. The new school year will begin on Monday, August 31. Children enrolling must be 4 years old by August 30. Enroll your 4 year old for free Pre-K at the Harambee Child Development Center. HCDC will be a Kanawha County Schools Pre-K site in September. A Kanawha County Schools representative will be at the Center on May 5 to answer your questions. Drop by 131 Perkins Ave., Dunbar or call 304.768.4232. |
Kanawha Institute for Social Research and Action, Inc.
