TO: My Friends, Pastors and Church Leaders.
Volunteers Needed: Calcasieu
Parish District Attorney Putting on Fresh Start Initiative, January 13, 2016, to
help 250 Participants Apply for an Expungement to help them Get a Job.
70 Non-Attorney Volunteers Needed (no special skills or training required).
From: Paul Pettefer, Volunteer responsible for Recruiting Volunteers, paul@employmentisbetter.com, 337-794-9891
Say you have
a problem, a past failure, and you try to overcome it and can't. So you try again, and fail. And you try again,
and the door stays shut. Well, you might
just stop trying.
For many
fellow neighbors in Calcasieu Parish who have a criminal record, this history
stops them on the times they try to turn things around. Stops them from getting
a job, or getting a better job. To work
in most Industrial Construction sites or at the Plants you need a TWIC Card,
and having a criminal record can keep you from getting your card.
Try. Fail.
Quit. Hopeless is not good. Not empowering. That’s where we step in!
Our District
Attorney, John DeRosier, has launched the Fresh Start Initiative to help lots
of our neighbors see if they can get an Expungement for criminal records for
Calcasieu Parish arrests and convictions. Many crimes cannot (and should not) be
expunged. But many can. The process has
several steps and can be very complicated. Fresh Start Initiative is a way to
eliminate that barrier.
Here is John
DeRosier, our Calcasieu Parish District Attorney, on why we should do this,
“My office is concerned that the
inability to obtain an expungement can prevent some individuals from gaining
employment. We believe that gaining
employment provides opportunities for individuals to break the cycle of
criminal conduct, increases the public safety for all who live and work in
Calcasieu Parish, and assists former criminal offenders to create stable,
productive lives for themselves and their families in Calcasieu Parish.
“Louisiana law allows for the
expungement of certain arrest and conviction records under limited
circumstances. Obtaining an expungement removes the record from public access,
although the record is not destroyed. An
expunged record is confidential but still available for use by law enforcement
agencies, criminal justice agencies, and certain other agencies as defined by
law.”
As a Pastor
with the particular calling to equip the Church toward a Lifestyle of
Restoration and Engagement, I see opportunities like this as God-Given on-ramps
for building our mission! We do this by modeling the behavior we want the
people we are leading to follow (i.e. you and I volunteer and serve), and be
encouraging the people we are leading to do the same!
Volunteers, HOW IT WORKS:
·
Our initial Fresh Start Day will be on
Wednesday, January 13, 2016, in the Buccaneer Room at the Lake Charles Civic
Center.
·
We will process up to 250 Participants who have
Pre-Registered to apply for an Expungement.
·
We will need 40 Attorneys to volunteer, and 70
Non-Attorneys.
·
I am
responsible for recruiting the 70 Non-Attorneys.
·
We will work 2 shifts: Either 8-Noon, or Noon-4. (Yes, you can sign
up for Both!)
·
We will feed you lunch and have T-Shirts for all
Volunteers.
·
Non-Attorney Volunteers must attend a 1 Hour
Volunteer Training, 5:30-6:30,
either on Jan 5, or Jan 12.
either on Jan 5, or Jan 12.
·
NO
SPECIAL SKILLS OR TRAINING NEEDED! We need willing people who can attend
the 1 hour training and a half-day (or whole day) shift at Fresh Start Day, Jan
13.
·
Volunteers MUST REGISTER ONLINE at http://www.jaclouisiana.org/#!fresh-start-initiative/c1z5j
Please Register NOW to stake your
place in this hope-building opportunity.
I really need to know how many volunteers we have.
·
I am absolutely available to come and share with
any of you or any group you have about this Initiative. You can reach me paul@employementisbetter.com or call/text
337-794-9891.
·
The Justice & Accountability Center out of
New Orleans has designed and pulled off similar events several times before,
and they are coordinating Fresh Start, so
our event is Very Well Planned and EXTREMELY ORGANIZED and Professional! You can
volunteer and recommend this opportunity with Confidence that the Volunteers
will have a very positive experience, with a well-run event that serves the
least get a Fresh Start!
FOR PEOPLE
NEEDING EXPUNGEMENTS: Through prior outreach efforts, the DA and the SWLA Law
Center already had hundreds of people requesting Expungements, and as a result,
as of today, we are actually FULL,
with 250 Participants. Thus WE ARE NOT
making ANY Public Announcement to recruit Participants, AND ARE NOT ACCEPTING
ANY NEW APPLICATIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS FOR THIS SESSION OF FRESH START. Some may drop out and allow additional room,
and I will keep you informed on any waiting list procedures we develop. Please DO NOT CALL THE DA's office! Keep contact with the person, and be in a position to let them know about future opportunities.
FYI: The Expungement process has $550 in costs to the agencies that work to process the documentation. There may be some possibility of waivers, but the Participants that Register and show up for Fresh Start need to be prepared to fund those costs. If you want to help pay for Participant's Expungement costs, then let me know. There is a fund in the works at the Community Foundation SWLA which may be a good vehicle for such grace to flow into.
QUESTIONS:
We love questions. Call/text Paul, 337-794-9891 or email paul@employmentisbetter.com. If I don’t know I’ll get it from the DA’s office or one of the other volunteers
helping make this day great!
Your friend
and partner in helping our city feel the impact of God’s Incredible Grace,
Paul
Pettefer
337-794-9891
Since #JesusIsAlive,
then from #Goosport2Graywood, #theCityShouldBeDifferent
Here are
some attachments (email me and I'll send them) for you us use:
·
Shift Schedule Flowchart. As you can see, the
event will be very organized!
·
Fresh Start Initiative Postcard. While we are
FULL at this time for Participants, I want you to see the card, see the Hope
that is carries for people whose past failures are holding them down. As Church
Leaders, we are Hope Dealers and love joining in on
·
Screenshot of the Volunteer Registration Page,
available here, http://www.jaclouisiana.org/#!fresh-start-initiative/c1z5j
·
Volunteer Confidentiality Agreement. Volunteers
will sign this at the Volunteer Training they attend.
