Tag: Board Blog

Your donations were tallied up in a $100 dollar check made out to the Topeka Correctional Facility to be deposited into their ‘indigent inmate fund’ and I’m feeling weepy over this opportunity to help reinstate a woman’s identity upon reentry into society. This endeavor was made possible by you. Thank you.

Keri here and I’m excited that we were invited to participate in a subcommittee of the Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Planning Council. Our workgroup will be focusing on Competency to Stand Trial issues at the state level whereas at the county level we’re working with stakeholders for the Stepping Up Initiative to keep mentally ill persons out of jail. I had to back off of direct services for inmates reentering society as COVID19 prevents dialogue with inmates and parole officers are working remotely. This is where my heart is though, helping my peers through crises and I have to be careful not to spread myself too thin in advocacy.

Many items on our wish list are in here:

To the stars through difficulty, our cherished motto belongs to all Kansans. It belongs to our poor, disabled and it belongs to men and women that have made mistakes, paid their dues and are working to reenter society after being incarcerated. They are worthy of dignity. -Keri

I have plenty of names of ladies at the Topeka Correctional Facility who would love a card, letter, perhaps even a pen pal. If you can’t donate to the cause, then you can help just by being a friend to someone who needs some connection to the outside.   

Especially for the Pagan ladies. There are many church groups who do retreats and have weekly services, but if you’re pagan, the other ladies will taunt you because they don’t understand. They get to celebrate their holidays, but we do not. Should you wish to initiate correspondence, please reach out to Keri at the contact page and I’ll connect you with a name. Blessed be. -Janet

Today I’m thinking of blessings nurtured in darkness. – Keri

Having survived child abuse and years of chronic exposure to trauma as a surgical technologist, my mind broke in 2010 and my kids went into state’s custody for neglect.

Being brought before our courts was a frightening experience that exacerbated symptoms of mental illness and our Child In Need of Care judge ordered a mental health evaluation. I credit Judge Daniel Mitchell with saving my life as I was quickly diagnosed with a dissociative disorder, later determined to be multiple personalities with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

After a lot of therapy and hard conversations I got my kids back, but these events taught me that there is hope. Good things can happen when given a chance to heal. – Keri