Mending their ways

Frontiersman reporter

EAGLE RIVER -- An effort to improve the lives of prisoners and community members alike by Hiland Mountain Correctional Facility in Eagle River recently got a boost from the Palmer Lions Club, which donated 18 sewing machines to Hiland's Give Back Program. The program teaches women prisoners life skills and produces simple necessities, such as blankets and clothing, to enrich the world outside the prison.

In the past, women in the Give Back Program have created lap blankets for the two Anchorage Adult Day Care centers, blankets for a neonatal care unit, tote bags for foster children, quilts for fundraisers, 200 Christmas stockings (filled with useful items) for the Anchorage Pioneer Home and 125 warm winter hats for an orphanage in Petropavlovsk, the poorest orphanage in Russia.

Hiland also participated in the Medicine Doll Project, an effort to raise awareness about AIDS by creating dolls that reflected how HIV and AIDS crosses social and cultural dividing lines.

Karen Jenkins, administrator of the effort, said that Give Back is intended to benefit both the women who participate and needy people elsewhere.

"These women offenders have taken a lot from the community," Jenkins said. "This is a good way for them to give something back."

Jenkins said that anywhere from 40 to 60 inmates work in the Give Back Program at any given time, though the exact number is difficult to determine owing to the prison's constantly changing stock of prisoners.

Dee Hilbert with the Palmer Lions invited Jenkins to come and speak to the club at one of their weekly meetings. At this meeting, Jenkins described the need of the program for donations of basic materials. The Lions responded by raising $800 to purchase eight sewing machines for the prison.

But that wasn't all. Robin Bumgardner, another member of the Lions, had heard of a matching grant program at the Wasilla Wal-Mart that would allow for the purchase of even more machines. Under this program, Wal-Mart provided an additional $800 for an equal amount of machines, bringing the total to 16.

However, the Lions managed to scrape together even more machines through the efforts of two individual club members, Aedene Arthur and Joyce Sanders. Each of the women provided an additional machine to the program for a grand total of 18 machines donated to Hiland.

The new machines should help to revitalize the program, which can put them to good use.

"We have a total of eight sewing machines right now that are over 35 years old," Jenkins said. "Maybe one of them still works."

The machines come as a very welcome addition to Give Back. "This program has unfortunately sort of fallen to the wayside," said Jenkins, who goes out into the community and asks for contributions to keep its operations afloat.

Bumgardner, who volunteers with CASA, a children's advocacy program, and Hospice of Mat-Su, suggested that the prison give some of the products created with their new sewing machines to these worthy causes or other Valley charitable enterprises.

Arthur's machine, which cost about $300, is an especially sophisticated model capable of cutting reinforced seams for clothing. Arthur is donating the machine in memory of her daughter, Beth Arthur, who was murdered in 1999. Beth, who struggled with a substance abuse program for much of her life, spent some time at Hiland herself and participated in the Give Back Program.

"We're donating this machine in her memory in hopes that it gives some positive suggestions to the women who are there now," Arthur said.

On the day of the donation, Arthur gave a speech at the prison on what Beth's passing meant to her family and her hopes that the tragedy would dissuade others from following the same path.

"Beth really cared about the people [at Hiland]," Arthur said. "She really saw them as people rather than just prisoners."

Arthur said she believed the new equipment would allow the Give Back Program to bring its benefactors a step closer to achieving the program's goal to "empower women to work on their self-esteem by giving back to the community."

Arthur said she believes a correctional facility should work toward improving its constituents, not worsening their situation. "Prison shouldn't be a place where we just punish people," she said. "These people need our help to get better."

The Lions are still seeking donations of fabric and other sewing supplies to pass on to the program. Arthur noted that Hiland still lacks sufficient funds to their program to buy material and thread. Anyone with spare cloth or supplies are encouraged to contact her at 745-5374.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.