Gemeinschaft in USA Today
posted by Brent FinneganThere’s a story in USA Today that mentions Gemeinschaft. The story was prompted by a report from the Eisenhower Foundation, a nonprofit group that analyzes and advocates programs for what they describe as “inner city, the truly disadvantaged, children, youth and families.”
According to the article, the Foundation makes the following recommendations to alleviate the social problems affecting “urban blacks” in the U.S.
•Increase funding for national programs such as Head Start, which promotes early childhood education; Safe Haven and Quantum Opportunities, which offer after-school tutoring and mentoring; and the Gemeinschaft Home, a residential program in Harrisonburg that helps inmates make the transition from prison.
•Raise the federal minimum wage from the current $5.85 an hour.
•Create a federal Employment Training and Job Creation Act.
The report does not put a price tag on its proposals.
“We know what works,” says Alan Curtis, the foundation’s president, who wrote the report. “It’s a matter of having the political will to do it.”
The Eisenhower Foundation works with Gemeinschaft to help the local halfway house “diversify its funding base and earn more income from business training schools.”
While the Foundation has been working to help to expand that program, Sen. Mark Obenshain has called for a reduction. Last year, he called for the Gemeinschaft on Chicago Avenue to close, because he said it was too close to a daycare and Waterman Elementary.
posted: February 28th, 2008 by Brent Finnegan
filed under Mark Obenshain, crime & punishment, news & meta-news.
Comments: 9
Comments
Comment from Barnabas
Time: February 28, 2008, 11:01 am
I’ve known people who have gone through the program and their lives are much better now. I know people who have been mentors and have had good and bad experiences depending on the individual they were mentoring. I have worked with men who reside their that were honored to have the oportunity to be in the program. Other than a few bad seeds, from all the aspects I’ve seen, Gemeinschaft is a good thing.
Comment from David Miller
Time: February 28, 2008, 11:28 am
I don’t know specifics about Gemeinschaft but I do know that there only so many prisons we can build and fund. Something has got to give and Gemeinschaft seems to be a step in the right direction.
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Comment from Karl Magenhofer
Time: February 28, 2008, 11:51 am
The Shenandoah Valley is also mentioned in another USA Today write up today. It’s in a travel column about cheap vacations and talks about the new flights from SHD and several others to Dulles.
Comment from finnegan
Time: February 28, 2008, 11:58 am
I assume you’re referring to this:
United has started new service from nine east coast cities to Washington-Dulles. Smaller departure cities such as Jamestown, New York; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and Shenandoah Valley, Virginia now have a direct route to Washington, D.C.
I had no idea the Shenandoah Valley was a city.
Comment from David Troyer
Time: February 28, 2008, 1:19 pm
I had no idea the Shenandoah Valley was a city.
Most people probably didn’t realize Weyers Cave was a city, either. :-)
Comment from Tim
Time: February 28, 2008, 5:46 pm
I thought Weyers Cave was that gas station near Blue Ridge…
(that’s a joke, I know that Weyers Cave is a very lovely community with very nice people and homes in it).
I’ve known quit a few Gemeinschaft residents and I think it’s a study in where you’re focus is. I’ve met some great people who are doing a great job of turning their lives around and becoming positive members of the community again, and I’ve met a couple who have spent life times telling people what they want to hear and then doing what ever is best for themselves. I hope the project has community support (I feel that it does), because the residents who take it seriously really do have positive stories to tell, the ones who don’t take it seriously remain static, which is sad, but prison wasn’t going to do them much better.
Comment from Marcus
Time: February 29, 2008, 2:00 pm
I think it is a great idea and a great cause. I’m all for it and continued efforts everywhere. The problem I see is the same as it was with the Gemeinschaft on Chicago Avenue for Mark Obenshain and for Ron Copeland’s group efforts to open a house for those in need.
Where will you put it that doesn’t upset someone? I think a lot of people support both ideas, as long as it isn’t in their backyard.
Do you really want to place someone, that already struggles feeling welcomed back into society, as far from other people as possible so that locals feel more comfortable? It is better than nothing, but still sad and probably not doing as much good as it could.
Do we / can we find a community of people that would be welcome either of these projects? Maybe a poll? Maybe someone can create a community that would be willing. Perhaps even a builder would be willing to try something different…
Comment from Atessa
Time: March 16, 2008, 12:53 am
Why is it that we are honored to have the moniker “The Greatest Country in the World,” yet we treat our own “not so great” as lepers and continously try to keep them in shackles instead of promoting their success stories as our own “GREAT” success stories. Wouldn’t that be a “GREAT” reason to applaud this country…as a country who takes not only initiative but pride in changing “the not so greats” into productive and successful citizens of their own communities? Have a heart…why not help those of our “OWN” who need the help instead of always sending to other countries who need help? CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME!
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