Week 16

Week in Review

Monday April 16, 2018

Today things seem to be quieting down – the calm before the storm. We had no classes today, but there was plenty of work to be done. The dayroom was filled with men working on business plans, giving pitches and even a few with flash cards preparing for Bert S.’s test on Wednesday. Many of those missing from the dayroom were continuing their marathon read of Crime and Punishment.

Many of our classmates have gotten good news from the parole board lately. It’s always good to see one of our brothers go home. Now go make PEP proud. We wish you the best; we will be right behind you.

Richard S. (a.k.a. “Gomer Pyle”)

Tuesday April 17, 2018

We started our day by thanking the Man Up Above for letting us wake up to another beautiful day. Some of us were called out to take our test from last week. After we got done with the test, we came back to get ready for Health and Wellness. We had a good workout together. After that we came back to the dorm and got ready for computer lab. We are almost complete with our computer lessons.

Tonight we have a softball game against the graduates. It will be a fun and awesome game. It is time for Spring ’18 to turn out and show out against the grads.

Joshua E. (a.k.a. “Bubbalicious”)

Wednesday April 18, 2018

Today was another great day. First off, we want to give all the honor and glory to God. We all awoke feeling prepared to go ace our test on Chapter 13. We all came together and studied hard for this test. Everybody is anxious and looking forward to graduating. Less than two months and we will all be there.

Bert S. spoke about our last chapter today. This chapter dealt with franchising and the purchasing of existing businesses. It was a short chapter but very informative. Everybody who turned in an article for extra credit was able to go in front of the class and speak. These extra credit articles were very enlightening, and we gleaned a lot of useful information from them. All in all it was a good day. Everybody keep up the good work! And by the way, we lost to the graduates last night’s softball game. Maybe we will have better luck next year.

Zachery F. (a.k.a. “Waldo”)

Thursday April 19, 2018

Today is another beautiful day. It has been a tough week with all the studying and reading. I see everyone so determined to get through these last few weeks. We all are eager for June to arrive so that we can graduate. I can see the same look we used to have when we first started the PEP program in our new Fall ’18 brothers. It is exhilarating to see them going into this as we did, and then to be able to help them as our Fall ’17 brothers helped us.

Just to see the unity among all our brothers growing is amazing. Also, to see how much change and growth we’ve all had, growing into a positive group of authentic men that are headed in a successful direction, is truly remarkable. Shout out to Spring ’18 – much love.

Sergio R. (a.k.a. “Sour Patch”)

Friday April 20, 2018

Here it is, another beautiful Friday. We started it off by going to the PEP classroom and taking our weekly test on Crime and Punishment. After the test we all came back to the dorm to continue our studies. However, the best was yet to come.

After lunch we all were thrilled to attend the Cleveland Correctional Center’s talent show. Boy, was it a show! There was impressive art work, and the comic relief was very funny. The singing talent was inspirational, and the spoken word poetry segment was my favorite part of the show. One can only hope that everyone’s day was as amazing and enlightened as ours.

Daniel L. (a.k.a. “Cookie Monster”)

Expressions

It takes courage for people to listen to their own goodness and act on it.

~ Unknown

Courage can go a long way in life. It takes a real man to understand the flaws in his life and be able to make the right decisions and break those old ways of living. What you do right now in this moment can affect your future, whether you believe it or not. How would your family feel if you were doing the wrong thing? I know my wife and kids would be very disappointed if they knew I wasn’t making every effort to come home. There will always be that one person who tries to strip you of your freedom, but it takes a changed man, a wise man, to recognize what is really at stake: your family! So brothers, if you ever feel tempted, just think how this decision would affect not only yourself but your family as well. Because we both know that they are eager – just as much as we are – for us to go home. So think before you react, my friend, and don’t let that one person ruin your chances of going home to your family.

Ronny V. (a.k.a. “Ron Cakes”)