High-risk kids, high-reward program

YAKIMA, Wash. — As a volunteer director for the Southeast Yakima Community Center, Ester Huey commonly sees children raised by people other than their birth parents. When she investigated the matter, she discovered many of them had parents in prison.

They see their moms and dads arrested by police, and they don't know why. They're separated from siblings and placed in new homes, often with impoverished grandparents or a series of paid strangers. They're teased at school.

As a result, many of them act out their grief through violent outbursts -- earning the label of "troublemaker," said Huey, a 72-year-old community activist. If someone doesn't show them an alternative, she fears they will end up in jail themselves.

Statistics prove her fears have merit. According to the National Association of School Psychologists, children with parents in prison are five times more likely than the average child to commit crimes and be imprisoned.

"The little fights lead to assaults," she said, adding that prevention is key. "We can't leave one stone unturned."

Determined to show these kids a better way, she launched the Children of Incarcerated Parents Mentoring Program in October 2006, a free program that serves 5- to 17-year-olds.

Huey, an Alabama native who moved to Yakima in 1951, was especially motivated to start the program because of former President George W. Bush. In his 2003 and 2004 State of the Union Addresses, he stressed the need to reach out and help the more than 1.5 million American children with parents in prison.

"It spoke to me, very much so," Huey said about the speeches. "I had raised children of incarcerated parents myself. I have some personal experience."

By matching high-risk kids with positive role models, Huey said they become exposed to a new way of life and can begin to make better decisions for themselves.

Huey hopes the mentorship program will enable caregivers, children and incarcerated parents to cement strong bonds.

That's already happening with mentor Brian Cox of Yakima and 13-year-old Adrian Gatlin and 10-year-old Jordan Avila. When Cox first met the boys two years ago, he said they misbehaved at home and had trouble believing in themselves. That's slowly changed.

"Adrian has a lot more confidence. He values himself," Cox said. "Jordan knows I will always be there for him. I hear his laughter more often."

For Huey, the program is personal. In addition to her three biological children, she's raised three children of incarcerated parents. That first-hand experience -- combined with what she sees at her job as volunteer director -- has given her an added incentive to invest in the program's future.

"Whenever we can take a broken spirit and give it wings to make it fly, that's what we ought to be doing," she said.

With the aid of staff members at the Southeast Yakima Community Center, Huey began enlisting people to become mentors. She had 21 mentors when the program began in 2006. She now has 42.

The diverse group consists of men and women from their late 20s to their early 70s. They work as attorneys, pastors, homemakers and real estate agents. Some are business owners, others are retired.

The mentors are matched with 38 kids who, through collaborative partnerships, are connected to such services as mental health counseling and school advocacy.

Huey said her immediate goals are to provide strong, stable adult mentors to children of incarcerated parents.

She wants to prevent these children from following in their parents' footsteps, and she wants to give them an opportunity to visit their imprisoned parents at least once a year.

So far, Huey said she's been blessed with mentors dedicated to showing the youths a different way of life. None has chucked their responsibilities.

"All of our mentors have stayed with us. None have decided the task was too hard," she said. "They've stuck with the program enthusiastically, and they're serious about their mentorships."

What's helped the program immensely is a partnership between the Southeast Yakima Community Center and the local chapter of Casey Family Programs, an organization that strives to provide, improve and ultimately prevent the need for foster care.

In the past two years, the group has awarded a total of $60,000 to the mentorship program. An additional $30,000 has been pledged this year.

All the money is spent yearly to help improve the quality of these children's lives -- be it through the purchase of new shoes, group activities or counseling. It's also used to cover food and traveling expenses associated with visits between children and their incarcerated parents.

The grants are the program's sole means of financial support. Huey said the cost of the program, counting volunteer labor, is $100,000 annually.

Lynn Biggs, senior director of the Yakima field office for Casey Family Programs, said the goals of her office and the mentorship program are aligned: improve outcomes in education, employment and mental health for vulnerable youths.

She credits Huey's vision and leadership as being instrumental to the program's longevity, and she's proud of the accomplishments that have been made -- especially the strong relationships that have bloomed between youths and their mentors.

"A relationship with a caring adult is a main indicator of success for a child," she said. "We very much believe in what's going on there."

Huey has assumed much of the responsibility for the program, but she does receive help from an AmeriCorps volunteer and a part-time staffer who compiles progress reports. She's also worked hard to establish a tutoring program to help the kids with their studies. All the children live in the Yakima city limits.

Although there's still a lot of work to do, Huey is optimistic about the program's future. It's a step, she said, to showing kids how to lead rich and fulfilling lives.

"We won't save every single one of them, but I feel doing this will make a difference," Huey said. "We'll save every one we can. I think the possibilities are great."

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.

* Coming Sunday: Meet Adrian Gatlin and Jordan Avila, half brothers who joined the Children of Incarcerated Parents Mentoring Program two years ago. They were paired with a mentor who dares them to dream big, and they were taken to the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla to reunite with their father, who is serving life in prison.

* Children of Incarcerated Parents Mentoring Program

To become involved in the Children of Incarcerated Parents Mentoring Program, prospective mentors must submit to a criminal background check and an interview. They need to be supportive and empathetic, and committed to making a positive difference in a child's life. If the child and mentor get along after visiting the first time, the mentor's work will begin.

Responsibilities include:

* Visiting with their assigned child in person twice a month. During those visits, mentors are encouraged to expose the children to new experiences, such as visiting museums, job sites or skiing on White Pass.

* E-mailing or calling the youth four times a month.

* Attending family night at the Southeast Yakima Community Center once a quarter, giving children, mentors and parents an opportunity to touch base.

* Completing monthly activities reports.

For more information about becoming a mentor, making a donation or enrolling children in the program, contact Ester Huey at the Southeast Yakima Community Center, 509-575-6114.

* Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents program

A similar program, Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents, exists at the YMCA in Yakima. For that offering, prospective mentors must submit to an application, criminal background check and interview, and provide three personal references. They're asked to meet with the children, who are typically ages 8 to 17, at least four hours a month during the school year.

There are about 25 mentors and 26 youths in the program.

For more information, call Sandra Carrillo at 509-972-5274.