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Donte' Graham was in the Hamilton County Justice Center, hopeless and uneducated, when he met Jason "Fresh" Heckler, executive director of the Literacy Center West (LCW).
Once a month Heckler goes the Justice Center and Queensgate Correctional Facility to, inform inmates of the Next Level, a job readiness program at LCW. Locked up on narcotics charges, Graham listened apprehensively to Heckler's spiel about reducing the chances of recidivism by getting a job and a general equivalency degree (GED) once he was released.
"I thought it was one of those regular programs," Graham says.
He was wrong. The program proved to be the perfect opportunity for rehabilitation.
"I realized it was different than anything I tried before, and I stuck with it," says Graham, who received his GED last year and now works as a server at Don Pablo's restaurant.
Choices beyond jail
Heckler created and designed the Next Level for 19- to 21-year-old men.
"I created the program because the need was there," he says. "Many times young men between those ages feel a sense of hopelessness.
I know, because I felt the same way at that age."
Heckler acknowledges he has a criminal record but doesn't want to talk about it.
The program has three main objectives: immediate job placement, career exploration and GED preparation. Finding a job comes first, unlike typical job readiness programs, which are typically lengthy.
"No one needs six months to get ready for a job," Heckler says. "If we could help them get a real job with decent pay and opportunity for advancement instead of just providing interview tips and a resume, then maybe we could help some of these kids broaden their visions of what is actually possible."
The program is funded by Hamilton County. Probation officers and judges make referrals.
"It's the most successful program in the city," says Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman, president of LCW's board. "You can't put everyone in jail. If you give people the opportunity to rehabilitate themselves, hopefully they won't re-enter the system."
To date, the program has helped 48 men find employment and earn high school equivalency certificates.
From 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday, the six-room center bustles with staff and students. In the modest main classroom, the Youth GED Preparation program is in session. Ten 14- to 17-year-old students who either dropped out or were expelled from school work on subjects ranging from world history to algebra. Linda Leisring is the teacher.
"The kids feel like they have a voice here," she says. "It's a good place for them to come and have someone on their side."
Because the students are different ages and have a wide range of educational levels, Leisring uses a homemade curriculum. The only requirement of the class is to participate one hour a week in community service projects cleaning sidewalks, streets and vacant lots.
In another classroom, Karen Boschert, a senior career coach and tutor, helps Keith O'Neal, 21, work on math problems. O'Neal recently started working at Hathaway Stamp Co. and is preparing to take the GED test.
Tutoring a neighborhood
Sitting in a room that doubles as a classroom and closet, Erin Gilday tutors another student preparing to take the GED test. Gilday facilitates the Adult GED Preparation program, assessing students to develop individualized curricula based on their strengths and weaknesses. Students who work sporadic hours or need child care learn at their own pace. Timothy Thomas was a student in this program shortly before his shooting death (see "A Death Too Far," issue of April 12-18, 2001).
Last year 23 students earned GEDs. In a cramped room down the hall, Kristin Zinn, career coach and job retainer, assists a student in making a list of job leads.
"My job is just like sales," she says. "I go out and talk to employers, trying to find students employment."
On her way to talk to an employer, Zinn takes O'Neal and Graham to work.
Evening hours at the center are for students in the Adult Basic Literacy program, who test below a fourth-grade level on standardized assessments.
"Some of the adults are embarrassed because of their education level, so we block off 5 to 8 p.m. especially for them to have individualized attention," Heckler says.
The center began in 1986 as an outreach program at the Church of the Nativity focusing on GED preparation and tutoring. When the church closed, the Prospect House, a long-term drug and alcohol treatment program, bought the building.
The first floor became a treatment facility. The tutoring program remained.
In 2000 the center was strapped for cash, and director Karin Fetterman announced her retirement. The board of directors wanted someone to revamp the center to suit the needs of the surrounding low-income, Appalachian and black community.
Ruehlman knew Heckler through a mutual friend and encouraged the board to approve him for the position.
Heckler brought program and fund-raising ideas to the center. Prior to 2001, the center relied primarily on grants from private foundations. To increase funding, LCW now hosts an annual golf outing, gala and a direct-mail campaign. The center's expansion includes a satellite location in Camp Washington.
"The program is about more than finding a job," Graham says. "It builds character."
For more information on Literacy Center West, call 513-244-5062.