Full Speed Ahead! Updates on Some of Our Industry-Leading Initiatives

Internship for International Student  

Ohio Northern University student Safar Alahmari has joined The RIDGE Project as an intern for the next few months. Safar is a citizen of Saudi Arabia and is currently studying at ONU in Ada, Ohio. He will be learning many aspects of our business, with the hope of implementing some of our practices in his home country's criminal justice system. RIDGE will be utilizing this opportunity to develop a standard program for future internships. 

 

Anthem Strong Families Replicating TYRO Program 

 

Anthem Strong Families, based in Dallas, Texas, has been having phenomenal success with The RIDGE Project's TYRO Dads program. Under agreement from RIDGE, Anthem has been utilizing the TYRO curriculum in connection with their programs. Their results have been extremely promising, showing that TYRO can be successfully implemented in various demographics and social climates. To find out more about Anthem, click here.

 

What Did They Say?

 

Want to know what people think about The RIDGE Project? Here's what one person had to say:

 

"The extraordinary story behind the birth and blossoming of The Ridge Project is incredible. It truly is a blessing to see how individual lives are being help and changed by the education, support, encouragement and example of the leadership provided. The growth of this agency is vital to build healthy decision making to build stronger families!!"

- GreatNonProfits.com

 

Click here to read more reviews. 

TYRO Transformation: A Husband & Wife Share Their Experiences

Damien & Christina Beauford, One Year Later

 

Just over a year ago, at our first-ever gala event in Columbus, Ohio, one of our TYROs gathered his courage and got up on stage to talk about his experiences, both personal and with The RIDGE Project. His story was moving; a true inspiration for other TYROs looking to improve their lives. Now, nearly a year later, we caught up with Damien and his wife, Christina, to see how they are doing. They are happily married, having taken the plunge last August. We asked them what their experience with RIDGE programming has done for them and how their lives have been affected. They each submitted a personal account of their own experiences.  Their story was also featured in our last TYRO Times edition - see below.

 

 

"I was first introduced to The Ridge at RiCI where I was serving a 4-year sentence. I was just trying to take as many programs as possible at the time. My main goal was getting home to my family. In the beginning, I couldn't imagine the impact that The Ridge would have on my life. It started with TYRO Dads (a parenting class) and went on to Couples Communication 1 & 2, which I was able to take with my girlfriend and mother of my children at that time. At this point I had taken 20-30 programs - but The Ridge was different.

 

A lot of programs offered were just that, programs. Half the time the facilitators didn't show up or we were working from a book doing things that were common sense: "Don't yell, don't fight, be patient." We took programs because the end result was a certificate which looked good when you were up for release. But The Ridge was not one of those programs. The facilitators which were sent to RiCI were more than that. Not only did they believe in what they were teaching, they were living it. They held us to a higher standard and we were called to the carpet if we were not living right. These were actual mentors that were setting examples in the way they treated their wives - who were often present at events, by the way they handled relationships with us and with their relationships with the prison staff. They were true men of their word. The skills that we were learning were steps and taught us to think of our actions, words and listening skills in a completely different manner. 

 

Upon my early-release court date, I contacted a Ridge staff member who I had become close with and informed him of my upcoming hearing. He told me that The Ridge would try to put something together to be sent about my time with the program. At my hearing, my lawyer came with a few letters, one of them being from The Ridge. In this letter they stated my time with the program along with the changes that they saw in me. The judge was absolutely astounded to see a letter from such a positive and influential program and I believe it played a big part in my early release. The Ridge did what no other program had done for me. It vouched for me and the man that I had become because of their materials and relationships. My time with the program did not end there. We were able to go to a couple's workshop in Cleveland and solidify communication skills that we had learned in CC 1 & 2 and we got to spend time with other couples and their staff.

 

I was then asked to speak at their first annual Forgotten Victims gala, where I was given a chance to share my story of success and to give much deserved credit to Ron and Cathy and all the others who play a part in what they do. This past August I married my longtime girlfriend and mother of my children. Two of The Ridge facilitators and employees proceeded over our wedding. These are people who we consider friends and family and it is people like them who make the program exactly what it is. They believe in the program so much that if you yourself give into it, you cannot help but believe and live it yourself."

- Damien Beauford

 

"I never would have thought that the father of my children would end up in prison serving a four-year term. It just wasn't my life. Yet one day, it was. I wasn't sure what to expect of him or how our relationship would weather this storm. I wasn't sure how my family was going to look throughout the sentence and especially how it would look when he was released. What people fail to realize is that it's not just the prisoner who serves time. The whole family itself receives that same sentence and suffers in ways that the prisoner does not.

 

While in prison, Damien linked up with The Ridge Project and I couldn't imagine the blessing that it would bring. Damien was never a bad father or a bad man to me. However, I always knew that he wasn't doing his best. He had more to give; he was just too caught up in other things to apply himself. TYRO Dads taught him how necessary it was to step up and be the man that his family needed. Couples Communication 1 & 2 taught us how to deal with conflict and solve problems in a healthy way. However, those programs alone weren't what taught him or any of those other men all of the necessary lessons; it was the relationships formed by the facilitators with them that impacted them the most. They were real life examples of men who were doing exactly what they were teaching. They were who they said they were and they held Damien and all those other men to the same standards.

 

I couldn't have imagined that after a forty-one month prison term that my family would emerge stronger, healthier and more functional than it had beforehand. Damien is no longer the father of my children; he's my husband and my best friend. Our whole relationship I always felt like I was trying to teach him how to parent. Now, I find myself now learning lessons from him. The Ridge Project helped to give me a better version of my husband and gave my children a better version of their father; and I am forever grateful for what they do."

- Christina Beauford 

We recently held another father/daughter dance at Richland Correctional Institution. We had a total of 60 attendees (15 TYROs, 15 spouses or partners, and 30 children)! This breakthrough event is gaining momentum around the state and has had rave reviews from those in attendance. Our family program director, Beth Brown, is in charge of organizing and leading these awesome events. Beth describes this last event at RiCI below.

 

"We had a great event last night, at Richland's Father/Daughter Dance.  We opened with a welcome and introduction to The RIDGE Project and explained the agenda of the evening, offering everyone a light meal of hot chicken sandwiches, chips, cookies and veggies. It was nice to see the families eating together! This was their time to spend on their families, especially daughters. The evening also included face painting, family photos and lots of dancing.

 

The focus color last night seemed to be Pink! We had a lot of beautiful and excited little girls dressed up for their daddies wearing pink. One little four-year old girl gave her dad a run for his money - she NEVER left the dance floor the whole night.  She was all over that floor dancing, spinning, swinging, and dancing with her daddy when he could keep up! She even found another little friend and they danced around too. It was so precious!  I did hear the dad say once, "Honey, can we quit doing circles? Daddy's getting dizzy." They were all absolutely beautiful together!

 

Regarding the crowd, you could feel the walls (of communication) going up with some of the partners, as often happens when a partner is incarcerated. The dance was a good opportunity for continued bridge-building and for cooperation between the TYRO and his partner.  We could definitely feel the love of the mothers for their children. They were there so their child could stay connected to her dad.  It really was a great opportunity to build on.

 

The prison staff members, with Gretchen leading the way, were absolutely great!  Gretchen is an amazing person, whose heart is for the families, especially assisting mothers and their children!  She knew many of them and seems to mentor the ladies as she is able. Gretchen had also called me ahead of time to let me know we had a birthday girl that would be at the event. But, unbelievably, it ended up that we had at least 9 little girls who had had birthdays!  So of course, we took a huge cake and sang the traditional song with TYROs leading it.

 

The DJ did a great job with providing the music for the event and, of course, Jackee did an awesome job with taking pictures of the event. She was all over the place! The big hit of the night was our Famous Frank and his fabulous face painting!  All night long he had a long line. First children, then moms, then the TYROs themselves, all wanting their faces painted. Of course, there were a lot of flowers being painted on faces and Frank's favorite colors (Michigan colors) on one particular little girl. The flower was off to the side, but the stem and the vine ran down her face over her nose.

 

At the end, the TYROs were thankful and helped to clean up, while the partners and family members, especially a few in particular, made a point to go to all our staff to thank them personally with their daughters. Lives were touched. One mother even told me, 'Our daughter doesn't get to see him much at all. This is a night she will always remember.' " 

Other Things of Note...