Stay tuned for the story from King 5, but what started with a suit donated to Men's Wearhouse a couple months ago has turned into an emotional testimony of one of our Program participants, Keith Whiteman. The Post-Prison Education Program was there as he walked out of the gates of Coyote Ridge Corrections Center last Monday morning ~ and headed straight for blueberry pancakes in Ellensburg en route to our office in Seattle.

Addiction is classified as a DSM V mental illness - called substance dependence by the American Psychiatric Association. We see it rampant in our communities every day. The solution we've found lies in re-humanizing the criminalized and letting them know that their community is behind them, not against them. Yesterday, Mr. Whiteman, who was introduced to drugs by his father at 12 years old, was taken out for his first real meal in 3.5 years, but most importantly driven from the Post-Prison Education Program to Spanaway to reunite with his Mom, Sister, and Son. And along the way, Men's Wearhouse provided a suit and tie he proudly wore Friday when he walked onto the campus of Pierce College to meet with staff of the TRIO program.  Mr. Whiteman plans on attending the University of Washington-Tacoma after graduating Pierce College. He eventually wants a degree in social work, to give back to the community and work with others who suffer from the disease of addiction.