Jail Brakers Offers Story Time at Woodstock Public Library

On Saturday, June 22 Jail Brakers will present Our Story, a special story time for the children and families of incarcerated individuals at the Woodstock Public Library, 414 West Judd Street from 10 to 11 am.

Cheryl Niemo, the Executive Director of Jail Brakers said, “When a family member is involved in the justice system it can be hard to connect to other who understand.  Our program connects families with shared experiences by listening to each other’s stories to build community.”

Jail Brakers is an organization of people who have been or are in prison as well family members of incarcerated individuals which offers support, increases awareness of special needs to develop more meaningful resources and policies for this under-served population, and aims at reducing the stigma of incarceration to remove barriers to a health reintegration into society. It is an independent ministry of the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation in McHenry.

The program will include a story time and craft project.  Refreshments will be shared.  It is free and open to the public.  Drop-ins are welcome.

For information contact Cheryl Niemo at 224 422-7431,  e-mail   jailbrakers@gmail.com or visit the Facebook Event .

Jail Brakers Presents The If Project Film Screening and Discussion

Jail Brakers, which serves families of incarcerated individuals, will present a free screening of the award winning documentary The If Project on Tuesday, September 19 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at the Woodstock Public Library, 414 West Judd Street in Woodstock, Illinois.  An open community discussion will follow.

In 2008, Seattle police officer Kim Bogucki walked through the gates of the Washington Corrections Center for Women, intent on asking a group of mothers for permission to work with their school-aged daughters in a Girl Scouts Beyond Bars troop for girls with incarcerated parents. On that day, Bogucki asked the mothers a critical question: “If there was something someone could have said or done that would have changed the path that led you here, what would it have been?”

For one of the inmates in particular this question struck a chord. Renata Abramson was a repeat offender serving a nine-year sentence. In the days that followed, Renata took it upon herself to answer that question in writing, and invited her fellow prisoners to do the same. When Bogucki returned to prison a month later, Renata handed her a stack of raw and poignant essays and The IF Project was born.

The If Project producer/director/writer Kathln Horan.

Director Kathlyn Horan was inspired to create a documentary about Abramson, Renata, and three other inmates struggling to rebuild a life and connection with their children.  Horan is a veteran film maker, photographer, and writer co-directed the feature documentary A Voice for Choice about a 2004 march for women’s reproductive rights in Washington and has completed several other short films as a producer.

Jail Braker's Cheryl Niemo.

The feature length documentary won the Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision and the Special Jury Award at the Seattle Film Festival and a Special Jury Mention—Best Documentary at the Port Townsend Film Festival.  It has also been screened at the Brooklyn Film Festival, Cayman Islands Film Festival, Justice on Trial Film Festival, and Global Peace Film Festival.

Jail Breakers recently became a ministry of the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation in McHenry but will continue to be independently administered and non-sectarian under the visionary guidance of founder and Executive Director Cheryl Niemoi.  The Congregation will offer administrative support to the organization with which it has had a long relationship.

Following the screening there will be a community discussion.  Family resources will be available and snacks will be served.

The screening is free and open to the public and is child friendly.

For more information contact Jail Brakers at jailbrakers@gmail.com or visit the Facebook Event listing.

Dennis Anderson to Host Town Hall Meeting in Woodstock

Dennis Anderson, a Democratic Party candidate for Congress in the new 14th Congressional District, will host a town hall meeting in Woodstock on Wednesday, August 1 from 6 to 8 PM at the Woodstock Public Library, 414 West Judd Street.

The meeting will cover a variety of issues including the role of the Federal government, the economy, and healthcare.

Town Hall Forums are not a new concept.  They originate in colonial America.   The first meeting of voters occurred in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1633.  Although a New England phenomena, Thomas Jefferson once called them the “wisest invention ever devised by the wit of man for the perfect exercise of government.”

However, town hall meetings have fallen into decline.  In Illinois, Township governments are required to hold one each year to adopt a budget and conduct other business.  In the smallest townships, election of official are still conducted at the meeting, although conventional elections have generally replaced that part of the agenda. 

In recent years they have become a favorite of campaigns.  Elected officials and candidates alike, during election years, hold a series of town halls designed to talk about issues with voters.  In recent years, they have drawn the most extreme elements of both parties, who have seen it as an opportunity to assail members of the political opposition.

The Anderson campaign is hoping to return the Town Hall meeting to a thoughtful discussion of issues between candidate and the voting public and avoiding, if possible, shallow posturing and theatrics.

Sounds like a good idea to me.  Join Dennis tomorrow if you agree.

 For more information regarding the Town hall, or to RSVP, contact the campaign office at (815) 444-0305.  And visit http://www.dennisforcongress.com/