Who talked?

Our monthly meeting with recently paroled men and women is manditory, so it is reasonably well attended. Of course one or two POs give a pep talk. The agency people also give brief notes about what their groups offer. But the guests really sit up and take notice when hearing from some of our speakers who have themselves been former guests of the system. These talks begin with a laundry list of facilities and experiences with the revolving door. The language can be rugged, and their outline is very rough, but the audience hangs on every word. Whenever the speaker mentions years of sobriety or years of freedom, the applause is spontaneous. Clearly there is a desire to get it right, to get straight, to stay out. These speakers are always mobbed at the end of the morning. Connections are made. Hope takes a chance and grabs on. The speakers themselves would be there every time if they could. They are committed to the cause like no one else. The challenge we face is that each of these speakers is a volunteer, and a morning a month is a lot for most employers to give time away. If they can make it regularly, it means they are without a regular job, and so still on the edge of disaster. Ideally you can collect enough success stories to have a rotation of speakers. Five words from a person they know and trust is worth more than a month of Sunday sermons. In the end the results are all about who talked.

JG