Centre County Re-Start Seed Fund
Building interpersonal and networking skills and helping the students explore the idea of creating a job and a life after incarceration.
Centre County Re-Start Seed Fund – Volunteer Information
Since 2017, a course called “Change: Where do I go from here?” was offered to male and female students in the Centre County Correctional Facility (CCCF), with the goal to build interpersonal and networking skills and help the students explore the idea of creating a job and a life after incarceration. In April 2020, the instructors for the Change course were awarded a $1000 grant from 3 Dots Downtown and the Awesome Foundation to establish a seed fund for returning citizens living in Centre Co. who need a no-interest loan to either 1) start a new product/venture/service or 2) get training or certification to get a job or be promoted. The Seed Grant application form and a resources flyer have been created which will be provided to those leaving incarceration and are available via CentrePeace. Publicity about the Centre County Re-Start Seed Fund is underway through Facebook, Centre County Re-entry Coalition and local media sources.
Next Steps
We need volunteers in the Centre region with background in areas such as criminal justice, entrepreneurship, and business to help with three tasks:
- Review the Re-start Seed Fund applications, including determining who needs assigned a mentor.
- Serve as a mentor for either start-up concepts or training/certifications. Includes coaching the person as he/she applies for a Seed Fund loan.
- Serve on the Seed Fund selection committee to determine who gets a loan, the amount of the loan, payback time, etc. Selection committee work will likely be done by reviewing a video submission or a ZOOM session with the loan applicant.
Volunteers can sign up for one or more of the three tasks listed above. Tasks 1 and 3 would be a once per month activity for approximately 2 hours. Time commitment for the mentor would be approximately 1 hour/week and could last several months, depending on the size of the loan, the product/venture, etc. Ideally, volunteers roll through different tasks depending on their availability and interests. Estimated start date for the Seed Fund activities is Fall 2020.
Request
Please consider being a Re-Start Seed Fund volunteer! Any questions, contact Liz Kisenwether (814-571-3487; liz.kisenwether@gmail.com). When you are ready to volunteer, please send Liz the task(s) you are interested in, how often you would be willing to volunteer, etc. If you know of other people in the Centre region who may be interested in volunteering, let Liz know or provide this information to them.
