|
|
| Thinking Outside the Shoebox |
| By Josephyn Nakimuli, Washington Department of Corrections |
| Published: 12/31/2018 |
The holidays will be a little brighter for some foster children, thanks to some shoe boxes and a group of incarcerated individuals at Washington Corrections Center (WCC) in Shelton.
The group, who call themselves “The Tribal Sons,” donated 60 handmade wooden shoeboxes filled with gifts to Squaxin Island tribal children in foster care. The boxes were presented to Squaxin Island Tribe representatives during a ceremony on December 4, 2018. Each contained gloves, socks, scarves, beaded items, and candy. Squaxin Tribal Chair Arnold Cooper accepted the boxes on behalf of the tribe. He was visibly overwhelmed looking at the boxes and became emotional speaking about the offering. He held his hands up to each inmate as a sign of gratitude. “You are not only giving to the community but to the future,” Chairman Cooper said. Inmates built and hand-painted the boxes with themes ranging from tribal symbols to children’s cartoon characters like Hello Kitty and My Little Pony. The Tribal Sons are a small group of Native American inmates that focus on the value of tribal brotherhood. Department of Corrections offers many religious, spiritual, and cultural programs to those incarcerated within the prisons. Several prisons have Native American groups that practice cultural traditions such as sweat lodges, powwows, dances and songs and the creation of beaded and painted artwork. Approximately 5.2 percent of the state’s incarcerated population(pdf) are American Indian or Alaska Natives. Squaxin Island, Skokomish, Blackfeet, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Nisqually, Lummi, Tlingit, and Grand Ronde tribes are all represented within the Tribal Sons, according to Yvonne Brumfield, spokeswoman for WCC. The idea for the boxes came from an incarcerated individual named Jay, a Squaxin Island Tribe member. Jay saw an ad in the Kla-Che-Min, the tribe’s newsletter to which he subscribes. The advertisement requested sponsorship of a foster child for Christmas. After seeing the ad, he decided to do something. He thought of the boxes that the prison-issued tennis shoes came in. His idea was to paint them and fill them with different gift items. “Anything I could get my hands on to put a smile on the kids’ faces,” he said. Jay approached his correctional unit supervisor, Stella Jennings, who loved the idea. She then presented the project to Superintendent Dan White and Associate Superintendent Dean Mason, who approved the project. “I am sure these boxes are going to make a child’s Christmas a little brighter and make them feel that people do care,” Jennings said. What followed completely transformed the shoebox idea into a six-month long project that Jay described as “a project of love and unity.” When other inmates in the Tribal Circle found out, many of them were eager to participate as well. Soon after, inmates from different units and all racial backgrounds also wanted to help. Michael Bray, WCC’s construction maintenance project supervisor, advised the team they could use scrap materials to make wooden boxes. From April to October, inmates built and painted the boxes. The incarcerated individuals, who made the boxes, gathered during the ceremony and spoke about what the project meant to them. “Not only are we giving back, but we are bonding, healing and though it’s in a small way, we are acting as men and giving back to our community,” said inmate Jaydean Ell. He also said a traditional Lummi Nation blessing during the ceremony and performed a song in the Lakota tribal language. Another inmate, Joshua, said even though they may be from different tribes, “We’re all sons, brothers, fathers, husbands and members of the communities we come from and appreciate this opportunity to give back.” Incarcerated individual Keith added some of the inmates who made the boxes had been foster kids themselves and this project not only helped them use their time constructively, but they connected on a deeper level to the cause in hopes that they would bring cheer to the kids. Angel, another member of the Tribal Sons group, shared how this project had helped him keep on track and had been a great opportunity for the Tribal Sons group to work together as a family to “ensure tribal children in foster care are not forgotten.” Correctional staff also shared some words at the ceremony. “The boxes are magic and they carry your love, time and prayers,” said Nancy Dufraine, the department’s tribal relations director. “I’m sure the children will feel it.” Superintendent White and Associate Superintendent Mason praised the staff and inmates for their accomplishments. “This has become a WCC facility project and I am proud of our staff and incarcerated population who are always looking at how we can better serve the community,” Mason said. "The fact that these beautiful pieces of functional art came from recycled pallet wood only makes the story better.” No taxpayer dollars were used for the project. Materials and items for the project all came from donations. Incarcerated individuals from the facility's quilting program also knitted hats and scarves to be included in the boxes. Kathleen Glennon, a classification counselor who is also personally part of a roller derby team, worked with the team to gather hats, gloves and miniature stockings with candy. The Femme Fianna of Dockyard Derby Dames of Tacoma donated these items. In addition to building the boxes, the Tribal Sons also created and donated dreamcatchers and beaded necklaces. Krystle Costa, who is part of the prison’s beading program, said, “Tremendous work and passion had gone into the work for this project, and I’m honored to be part of something that will bring so much warmth to foster children this Christmas.” Josephyn Nakimuli is currently studying for her master’s degree in Communications. Nakimuli was a winter intern while authoring the article. She has a passion for education and telling people’s stories. For questions, please contact doccommunications@doc.wa.gov. |
Comments:
Login to let us know what you think
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Technical Support Number for Webroot Toll Free Helpline Even after taking into consideration all the pre-installation requisites; if the installation of your Webroot antivirus product fails then no got to worry because the Webroot support staff is at your service 24/7 on the toll-free number. visit@:- geek squad support| how to login to linksys router| linksys router login| webroot geek squad | att mail login office.com/setup
submission
G Suite stands for Google Suite which is a comprehensive package developed by Google which contains all the tools which maximize the productivity of teams working with Google. For more info, please visit G suite promo code
Thanks for sharing this great news with us. Regards, CodyCross Lösungen
Looking great work dear, I really appreciated to you on this quality work. Nice post!! these tips may help me in the future. Assignment Writing Services Sydney
This is a great saying indeed. Website Website
thanks and nice to see live train status
I recommend a site for writing an essay, you will be helped by professionals https://www.masterpapers.com/buy-term-paper
This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. www.cuckoocarpetcleaning.com
A real positive story - thank you sharing Jack, SEO company Durham | Water Mains Replacement
Hey Admin, thanks for sharing this wonderful content that helps us a lot. I am here to tell you something about hp printer clear carriage jam error jam error Here you can Learn how to fix your hp printer clear carriage jam error and a Cartridge Jam error message displays on the printer's control panel or on your computer. Most of the peoples are facing the same problem. we explain how can you fix this.
Your post has been so helpful because it was clear and concise writing made it easy to understand. Thank you! 192.168.1.1
Thanks for the information. I really liked it. To get the best tech help contact Geek squad support
nice to know about them site
Thinking outside of Shoebox you share very well and attractive Story
In this article mentioned about thinking outside the shoebox, Some shoe boxes have incarcerated individuals and the tribal representations Troubleshoot HP ePrint Job Fails to Print Error ceremony details are also mentioned here. Thank you for being part of the site.
The article you shared here is great. I really like and appreciate your work. The points you mentioned in this article are helpful. I have to try to follow these points and also share others. vex 3
Thanks for sharing this data. It's pleasure to read an article like this. In turn, I would like to share with you one good website that I found recently - https://essay4me.org/. It`s a good online writing service that can help you with your essay and coursework. A very professional team with great writers and amazing support.
Thinking outside of Shoebox you share very well and attractive. I would love to read your article. Thanks for sharing. happy wheels
This article describes thinking outside the shoebox. I go through the whole article but I can’t relate this one. It's my humble request to please share some fastest available internet in my area descriptive details about this website. We are eagerly waiting for your information.
thanks for share. word whizzle card games
I'm impressed, I must say. Very rarely do I come across a blog that's both informative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you've hit the nail on the head. Your blog is important; the issue is something that not enough people are talking intelligently about. mcafee.com/activate |office.com/setup | office.com/setup | office.com/setup
Materials and items for the project all came from donations. clicker heroes online