Extended
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What is Extended Family?
Extended Family is a not-for-profit support system for families
of prisoners. The purpose of Extended Family is to show prisoners’
families how to successfully adjust to a new way of life.
When someone is sent to prison the family left behind struggles with financial,
emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges. An Extended Family group
is made up of people facing these challenges together, looking for solutions,
and discovering services available in their community to help them through
this season in their lives.
How does Extended Family help the families of prisoners?
The members of Extended Family know from experience how every
area of life is affected when the one they love is incarcerated.
At monthly meetings, Extended Family members do the following:
• Learn about services available in the community that can help them achieve financial independence, emotional balance, physical fitness, and spiritual growth;
• Exchange ideas on how they adjusted to changes in their life when a family member was incarcerated;
• Discuss their needs as well as services they can offer others, in an effort to swap services among the members of the Extended Family group;
• Hear experts talk about issues pertinent to families of prisoners;
• Participate in training workshops on everything from home repair to recognizing depression
• Plan get-togethers that are fun and safe, with a special focus on providing entertainment for the children of prisoners.
Who can join Extended Family?
The Extended Family support system is available to anyone with a family
member incarcerated in a county, state, or federal institution. Becoming
a member of Extended Family is easy, and it’s free. Just call or e-mail
to express your interest in Extended Family. Your area Branch Leader will
contact you with information about Extended Family meetings and tell you
about the ways Extended Family can help you and your family during this
season of your life.
Is there anything that Extended Family doesn’t do?
Extended Family does not distribute funds, give marital or legal advice,
or act as a personal counselor. However, at meetings of Extended Family,
and through newsletters, information is given about community services available
to help families in many areas of life. Workshops are offered on topics
such as relationship building, understanding the prison system, and maintaining
emotional health. And, of course, sometimes it is helpful just to hear someone
else say, “I understand,” and know that they really do.
Is there an Extended Family group meeting near me?
Right now there are four Extended Family groups meeting, with more groups
preparing to start. Below you will find details about the meetings currently
available. As new Extended Family Branches form, the new meeting and contact
information will be posted on this Web site.
Extended Family
Centre, Ala. Branch
When: First Monday of every month
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Where? Cherokee Baptist Association building
1575 West Main Street
Centre, Alabama
Summerville, Georgia Branch
When: First Tuesday of every month
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Where? Horizon Baptist Fellowship Church
1216 Highway 114 (go past Chattooga High School; church is on the right)
Summerville, GA
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Branch
When: First Thursday of every month
6:00 p.m.
Where? Christ Presbyterian Church
1930 W. Walnut Street, Milwaukee, WI
How do I start an Extended Family Branch in my
community?
Contact Laure Clemons, Director of Extended Family, at 256-927-7997 or extendedfamily@tds.net
to discuss your interest in having an Extended Family Branch near you. She
will be glad to talk with you about the simple steps you would take to start
a Branch, and can send you the Extended Family Branch Start-up Kit needed
to begin.