Over the past forty years, Gwen Jones has frequently visited Bay Area maximum-security prisons in her spare time, in an effort to bring hope and inspiration to an all-but-forgotten segment of society.
What began in her teens as participation in a church-sponsored program has evolved into a lifelong commitment as she observed firsthand the staggering waste of human potential which is incarcerated in the nation's prisons.
Gwen observed that many of those men and women behind bars are both desirous and fully capable of turning their lives around with help, yet most don't know where or to whom to turn to for assistance.
Adopting the approach that every person is either part of the problem or part of the solution, Gwen formed Yeshua's Second Chance Foundation, a ground breaker in the rehabilitation of ex-prison inmates.
The organization provides them with comprehensive support which includes instruction in moral values, personal enrichment and development, life skills, anti-drug and alcohol dependency treatment, career training and placement, and other critical disciplines – all designed to break the cycle of recidivism.
The Foundation also reaches out to meet the needs of the children of incarcerated parents – the innocent victims. The Foundation offers them the opportunity for brighter futures. For those ex-inmates who qualify, a manufacturing apprenticeship can be the reward.
The Foundation depends upon grants and donations from corporations, small businesses, foundations, churches and private individuals to expand its programs and their reach.
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