I need your help...

****Click here to see the report from my cry for help***

 Normally with my posts I try to include lots of pictures that I have taken.... This time I had to find pictures online because the place I want to talk about doesn't allow pictures to be taken on the inside. I want to talk about Goose Creek Correctional Center. It's Alaska's newest prison, built just last year. It was constructed to house 1,500 inmates that were being held out of state in a private prison.

Having a new facility with this many men presented a challenge to the Chaplaincy department. Rev. Jim Duncan, the Chaplaincy coordinator was suddenly faced with having to meet spiritual needs of a small town with no additional funding or personnel. And since beggars can not be choosers, Jim took me up on my offer to present Financial Peace University from Dave Ramsey as a class for the men.

I'm teaching the class as part of the Faith Wing program. The Faith Wing is a dedicated 128 bed pod or wing of the prison. To be a part of the Faith Wing, the inmates agree to abide by a stricter set of rules and participate in additional classes.

My first of twelve weeks of class was on Friday, July 19th. I had 21 men that have chosen to acquire the tools and information that they will need to win with money on the outside. 94% of all inmates are eventually released and statistics tell us that 50% to 70% of those will eventually wind up back in jail. One factor in a convicts inability to leave a life of crime is a lack of understanding of the basics of personal finances, including budgeting, spending, avoiding debt and saving for the future.

I believe Financial Peace University can have a huge impact in the lives of these 21 men. But I need your help. For the class to have it's biggest impact, I need each inmate to have his own workbook.
The workbook will cost me $19 each, meaning I need $399. And I need it fast. I've got some money I putting towards this, but I can't cover the whole cost.

I've never asked for help like this in the past, but I do it without shame or hesitation. I asked the men if they get any instruction or help in understanding finances before being released and they told me they do not. When their time is up, they are simply released and told to be good boys. They need these classes to equip them for a successful chance of making it on the outside.
If you can help in any way, no matter how small, please click on this link to send money via Paypal. The email address to put in is FPUinWasilla@gmail.com . Or if you are local,we can arrange to meet. I'm not set up for your contribution to be tax deductible, so your only benefit will be knowing you've done something to help make our world a better place and make a difference in someones life.
Thank you for taking time to read this long post. God bless.

***Update: Click here to see the report of what happened***