GOOD JOBS, HIGH PAY:

2CI Job Training & Counseling Work Big Time At Duvall

Julie Fidler has a lot of letters after her name, but they don't reflect the genuine care and passion she has for her work helping those in Marion County's Duvall Work Release Facility. When the statistics on job acquisition for job seekers came out for 2025, she wrote this:  

As you know, there was a two-prong approach with 2CI's Doug Evans' Career Path Training and Kendra Walker’s job coaching/employment coordinator efforts.

Our numbers, in my humble opinion, were outstanding. We ended the year with a 73% employment rate with fully HALF of those employed at an hourly rate of at least $20.67. These efforts work! We are already off to a strong start and are looking forward to doing MORE in 2026. —Julie A. Fidler, CIT, OWDS, Programming Duvall Residential Center, Marion County Community Corrections.

WORLD WIDE TEAM:

Developing Massive 2CI Indiana Employer List

2nd Chance Indiana’s V.P. Sherry Jackson has been working for months with Meet The Need's team of tech brainiacs in Florida, Brazil, and Ecuador, to build a huge directory of employers across the state of Indiana that will hire folks with a criminal record. 

The volume of willng employers is impressive alone, but it is searchable by location and job type, with links to each employers' jobs available. It is the most comprehensive catalog of opportunity for Indiana reentrants with 1,800 employers (so far) that will be multiplied by the number of locations in the state with an estimate of 5,000 locations in Indiana. On April 1st 2ndChanceIN.com will have the first download with more to follow. (And, this is not just the Targets and Krogers, it includes the "mom and pop" local employers too.)

Decades ago, Meet the Need's founder, Jim Morgan, was a "dot-com" consultant who decided to use his knowledge to help ministries and non-profits to expand their reach. 2nd Chance Indiana couldn't do what we've done without their amazing team. Always grateful!

Pictured: Top to Bottom, L to R: Meet the Need's Jim Morgan, Tonya Nichols, Monique Olivera, Gabriel Palhares, and Andrés Inglesias Morales.

THE NEED SURVIVES:

Government Grant Cuts Derail Efforts To Reduce Recidivism

After the monumental cuts in funding from both state and federal coffers, organizations like RecycleForce and 2nd Chance Indiana are treading water and struggling with limited resources to support the people who need it most. WE GET IT. Graft and corruption by some have sullied the pond for everyone in the caring ministry arena. But the need survives whether or not the funds are there.

RecycleForce's Tiana Johnson and Keys 2 Work's Gina Davis met with 2CI's Jim and Nancy Cotterill to find ways to support the reentrant population in this difficult time, as we continue to work to do all we can under the circumstances.

FYI: RecycleForce operates in Marion County, offering transitional employment and job training for returning citizens, as well as job transition support after their work experience period is finished. 2nd Chance Indiana provides job training, job counseling, mentoring, and transportation to and from job sites for the 50% - 67%* of reentrants that do not have a vehicle. 

One thing hasn't changed: 89% of those who are re-arrested do not have employment.

A job and a ride is the best way to change a recidivist into a success.

Pictured: Top to Bottom, L to R: Keys2 Work's, Gina Davis; 2nd Chance Indiana's Founders, Nancy Cotterill & Jim Cotterill; and RecycleForce's COO, Tiana Johnson.

*Depending on the cohorts sampled.

TODAY'S CAREERS:

2CI Has Partnered with 'Skilled US' For Reentrant Employment Success

2nd Chance Indiana's V.P. Scott Whiting and Job Counselor Kendra Walker recently met with the Skilled US team to develop a partnership that will yield training opportunities for reentrants in advanced manufacturing, construction, architecture, engineering, business and IT services, healthcare, life sciences, and transportation and logistics. 

With this valuable partner, 2CI reentrants will have access to program referrals, employer introductions, and the education they need to establish a successful life!

Joining the conversation was Skilled US team members: Anh Dinh Lapsley, Employer Partner Specialist, Dyla Harris, Director of Adult Education Services, and Nate Enfield, National Marketing Specialist.

WHAT IF?

We Actually Taught Kids About the Danger Of Drugs

The fact that eighty-five percent of the prison population has an active substance use disorder or was incarcerated for a drug use crime* is bad enough, but how many of our sons and daughters have perished due to drug use?

What if we—at least—provided the facts to children in school about the dangers and outcomes of drug and alcohol dependency? Start with storybooks at age 3 about someone who tried a bad drug and became sick. At age four, talk about how a substance kept a promising athlete from doing his or her best. As the years go by, incrementally, you have the 12-year-olds receiving straight talk about how today's marijuana is four times stronger, and is linked to deterioration of brain function and a greater probability of psychosis and schizophrenia.

It’s time to take a look at what we’re teaching in our schools. Operation Prevention is a leader in producing high quality programs for students, grade one through 12. Just mentioning the problem in high school is far too late. Every school has mandatory courses: This should be one of them. Until then, moms and dads can start with Operation Prevention’s Parent Guide. Together, parents and teachers can reduce the growing numbers of lost youth in Indiana. Read more HERE!

*National Institute on Drug Abuse