For information on volunteering or launching a coalition that helps children of incarcerated parents, contact: Sara Dahlquist Initiative Foundation Program Manager 877-632-9255 or sdahlquist@ifound.org

When deciding how it could strengthen central Minnesota’s safety nets for children of incarcerated parents, the Initiative Foundation went back to its tried and true approach of training, coaching and funding the work of energized volunteers.

“We believe that there are leaders for every challenge that a community faces,” said Linda Kaufmann, Initiative Foundation senior program manager. “It’s just that people don’t always know they’re leaders, and they need organizations like the Initiative Foundation to provide them tools and support to move from a vision to meaningful action.”

Rosemary Monk describes herself as “just a volunteer,” an understatement when you consider how much her Wright County coalition has evolved in just over a year. Dedicated to addressing the needs of children with incarcerated parents, the foundation started the Inside- Out Connections (IOC) project with seven volunteer coalitions in early 2009.

Rosemary is one of over 120 community leaders and volunteers coming together from every sector—including senior citizens, law enforcement officers, educators, church leaders and parents—to create caring communities for children of incarcerated parents. Each countywide coalition now has members providing parent education in the county jails, and reaching out to children and parents on the outside in order to mitigate poor outcomes and ensure that kids don’t fall between the cracks.

“A little over a year ago, we asked community members if this was an important issue to them and if they were they willing to come together to make a difference?” Kaufmann said. “We were blown away by the response. People cared alright, and now people are acting.”

In addition to providing well-attended parent education classes in their new county jail, theWright County coalition is working to coordinate existing community services, support caregivers on the “outside,” and help local children to attend the Salvation Army L.I.F.E. (Love Is For Everyone) Camp—a summer camp specifically for children whose parents are or have been incarcerated.

Monk concentrates on providing “camp packs” for children that include sleeping bags, towels, insect repellent and toothpaste. A donation from her local Lions Club along with a foundation grant funds were enough to purchase camp packs for ten children.

In its seventh year, the L.I.F.E Camp was started as a way to help children cope with the reality of their parents’ incarceration. “These children don’t have a voice,” said Carrie Kane, correctional services and transitions coordinator for the Salvation Army Northern Division Headquarters. “Nobody is wondering what’s happening to them.” Sponsoring children to attend the L.I.F.E Camp is just one of the ways that the Inside-Out coalitions are supporting children of incarcerated parents in their local communities.

Lucy Bauer, a licensed parent educator with the St. Cloud School District Early Childhood and Family Education program, facilitates the Stearns County IOC coalition. She said the foundation’s initial meetings uncovered a large unmet need for support for children with incarcerated parents, particularly younger children.

“I don’t think I realized how significant this issue was for others in our community who are serving families,” she said. “This is something that is in front of us every day when we are working with families. We thought, ‘Let’s figure out what we’re doing and what we could do better.’”

Since January 2009, the Stearns County coalition has developed broad community support, with more than50 volunteers and professionals working together on various projects. A common theme among their priorities is connecting the dots—making sure people and programs are talking to each other so children and families don’t get lost in the system.