Jordan Coley says she was just in the right place at the right time. She had spent a brief time with Safer Foundation, a non-profit focused on development of those with a criminal record, when her mother saw a Facebook post advertising free vocational classes at a school in Roseland. She called the number on the ad on a Thursday and was brought in for orientation the next Monday.
Henry Black had set a goal for himself while incarcerated to redirect his career after he was released. He knew he enjoyed working with his hands and was ready to set his life straight, when his sister saw an advertisement for the Outreach Career Center's vocational programs. After a quick call for more information and a placement test in math, Henry began classes with CPO and graduated in November of 2018.
Submitted by nikkinyhanna on Tue, 2020-03-31 12:04
Nikki started her work with Chicagoland Prison Outreach in 2018 as the office bookkeeper. She is currently the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, managing communications for CPO, bookkeeping, event coordination, and other administrative tasks.
Before Chicagoland Prison Outreach, Steven Riggs was involved in selling drugs and retail theft. He later was convicted of murder and landed in Cook County Jail. While in Cook County, Steven says " I was fighting hard to get to the Chapel. I went through being moved around the jail and even got into a physical fight trying to get to the chapel." After many obstacles, Steven met Pastor Corey in a chapel service. He says " two things caught my eye about Corey. One, he had been to Cook County before, so he could truly relate and two, he was the youngest chaplain in Cook County".
When I was younger up until I was 10 yrs. old, I went to church every week and was for the most part a good kid. But by the time I turned 12 yrs. old, I had stopped going to church and to be completely honest, I stopped even thinking about God. I started getting into trouble with the law soon after I turned 12 years old. It started out at shoplifting, to stealing personal property out of cars, to assault charges, to auto theft. I was in and out of Juvenile 15 times, and went thru Indiana Boys School 4 times. In between 18-19½ yrs.
I attended the carpentry apprenticeship class held at a facility in Chicago hosted by The Chicagoland Prison Outreach upon my release from the Cook County Department of Corrections and my desire to gain employment. As I attended these classes I began to build relationships with various team leaders and as I enjoyed the fact that this was a Christian based organization that allowed me to strengthen my relationship with Christ.
Submitted by calvin larkins on Tue, 2017-08-15 10:42
Joe started his involvement with CPO through a call to Dan Swets, seeking advice on how to help a man from church who had been released from prison. That call started a series of conversations that led to volunteering with Corey Buchanan in Cook County Jail. Now Joe serves as a CPO Chaplain, providing Bible studies and counsel to inmates in Division 2, Cermak Medical Center and other divisions at the Jail. Joe is a graduate of the Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Bible and Theology.
Sacred [sey-krid] adjective - devoted or dedicated to a deity or to some religious purpose; consecrated. Greens [greenz] noun - the leaves and stems of plants, as spinach, lettuce, or cabbage, used for food. Sacred Greens is a joint venture between Chicagoland Prison Outreach, Green Lots, and Growasis, the land is a dedicated plot of CPO land in the Roseland neighborhood that is used to better the lives of of its neighbors and those who visit. It provides food, opportunity, health, hope, and builds community. It is a place where the Holy Spirit resides.
Every year kindhearted people across Chicagoland purchase Christmas gifts for loved ones. They take great care to find just the right size and color. It’s a gift that brings joy to hearts and a smile to the faces, not just to the people opening the gifts, but also the people who wrapped the gifts.
I attended the carpentry apprenticeship class held at a facility in Chicago hosted by The Chicagoland Prison Outreach upon my release from the Cook County Department of Corrections and my desire to gain employment. As I attended these classes I began to build relationships with various team leaders and as I enjoyed the fact that this was a Christian based organization that allowed me to strengthen my relationship with Christ.