Senior Corps Starts Amachi in West Virginia

West Virginia was one of a handful of states that did not have an MCP program as recently as June. That’s when Jo-Claire Datson, program director for Retired Senior Volunteer Persons (RSVP) in the state, attended a specialized Amachi Training Institute (ATI) for Senior Corps project directors. Within five weeks, Datson had steps in place to begin the program. In July, West Virginia’s Attorney General agreed to allocate $50,000 for Datson to get started. He presented the check in a kick-off presentation on August 25th and the program officially began September 1.

“The timing was perfect because everyone has been talking about the overcrowding in the prison system in West Virginia,” says Datson. “There’s a 1,300-bed shortage right now in the prison system, which is anticipated to at least double by 2012. They keep building more jails and more prisons. This is really on the forefront. It’s kind of serendipitous.”

Finding the Funding

But it was more than chance that allowed the West Virginia Amachi program to begin in such a short period of time. Immediately after returning from the ATI, Datson researched West Virginia incarceration statistics and drafted a proposal and budget for an Amachi demonstration program that would later be expanded into the first statewide mentoring program. She then made numerous phone calls to senators and delegates in search of funding. During the process someone suggested that Datson contact the state’s Attorney General’s office because it had recently received a couple of large settlements from drug companies. One of the settlements had no restrictions on its use. Upon hearing this, Datson sent a letter to the Attorney General’s office and followed up with a phone call, but did not hear back immediately.

Refusing to be deterred, she switched gears and in a three-day blitz she met with 25 delegates and senators during the interim state legislature session. In addition, Datson was able to get on the agenda and present her proposal before the legislative oversight committee for corrections and regional jails. Afterwards, she returned to her office and began following up with representatives from the Senate and House. It was then that she received a call from the Attorney General’s office informing her that she would receive a $50,000 grant to start Amachi.

Datson will use the money for salary and benefits for a case manager, for expenses associated with recruiting volunteers and children, and for criminal background investigations for the mentors. In addition, she has submitted the paperwork for an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer who will help plan and implement the Amachi program.

Although Datson was pleased to receive the initial funding, she is also focused on sustainability, which was part of her motivation for her intense lobbying effort at the state legislature. To Datson’s delight, her hard work paid off. She has received written and verbal commitments from several senators and legislators to support a line item in next year’s West Virginia state budget to sustain the Amachi program.

Making Key Contacts

There are 34,000 children in West Virginia who have a parent in state custody, according to Datson. She has already formed an agreement with the state’s Division of Corrections allowing the West Virginia Amachi program to go into prisons and collect children’s referrals directly from inmates. “When I contacted [them] they were very happy to hear from me because they knew this was a problem and that it was an issue that needed to be addressed, but they needed somebody to do it,” says Datson. “And for a year they’ve been talking about it and nobody approached them to do it until I called them.”

Prior to visiting the prisons to collect the names of children for referrals, Datson plans to have her mentors in place. She intends to partner with congregations who have mentors in RSVP’s target age group, which is 55 and older. Datson enjoys working with volunteers in this age group and says “they are usually at a more stable point in their lives.”

In addition to seniors, Datson will also reach out to Neighborhood Watch Groups, which are comprised of people of all ages. Most of these groups tend to be faith-oriented and are based out of congregations.

Although all the pieces seemed to just fall into place for the West Virginia Amachi program, Datson wasn’t even certain she would be able to start the program after attending the ATI earlier this summer. “I first thought, ‘oh we can partner to do this and it’s not going to be that big a deal’,” she says.. “By the second day of the training I was feeling a little overwhelmed because that’s when I was realizing that we [didn’t] have anybody to partner with.”

The closest MCP programs to West Virginia are in other states and almost three hours away. Many rural areas interested in starting a program may not have the option of teaming up with other MCP or social service agencies. But Datson encourages those interested in starting a program not to be dissuaded: “You may have to go after money to do this like we’ve had to do to hire somebody because there’s no one to collaborate to do case management with. “Don’t let that stop you. Be persistent and make the phone calls. All they can do is say no, but they can also say yes.”

Fall 2005