On September 18, the warden of a local women-only correctional center spoke to a UA class, inspiring two juniors to set up a donation drive supporting the incarcerated women and their journey back into society.
Reagan Stanley and Hailey Caldwell, junior English majors, organized an ongoing book and clothing drive for Northwest Arkansas Community Correction Center. The drive to support NWACCC started Oct. 1 and is expected to close mid-November, although the closing date is subject to change, Stanley said.
“These women, when they leave prison, they’re not going to have any clothing to bring with them,” Caldwell said. “I just want them to have some options for when they get out of prison.”
According to their facebook page, NWACCC is a residential facility that offers female offenders rehabilitating and educational programs with a focus on therapeutic methods to prepare them to reenter society.
Stanley is spearheading the book drive component, while Caldwell operates the clothing drive. Those interested in donating books can contact Stanley at [email protected] and Caldwell for donating clothing at [email protected]. Clothing can also be donated at a box on the first floor lobby of Yocum Hall.
Stanley said they will do multiple tabling events, the first is expected to happen within the next two weeks. At these events, people can donate both clothing and books in front of the Arkansas Union.
Stanley and Caldwell said their interest in starting the drive began a few weeks ago, when Kenitra Edwards, the warden of NWACCC, spoke to assistant professor Leigh Sparks’ class, Communicating Effectively on the Needs of Women Who Are Leaving Prison and Reentering Society.
Sparks said that she became interested in this subject while she was a doctoral student and began studying literature written by incarcerated women and wrote her dissertation on a related topic involving the prison system.
Sparks has also been involved with NWACCC, including working on multiple programs there and having the previous warden speak to her class, she said.
As for Stanley, he said he has always wanted to give back to the incarcerated community but was not sure how to pursue this until Edwards spoke to Sparks’ class.
“I have had people in my own life who were formerly incarcerated,” Stanley said. “and (that) is what inspires me more to try and help that part of our community that is oftentimes ignored.”
Caldwell, on the other hand, said that prior to taking Sparks’ class, she did not know anything about what goes on in the prison system.
Stanley said Edwards talked about incarcerated women’s lack of community support, job access, clothing and housing when leaving the prison system.
After learning more about the issues incarcerated women face through the class, Caldwell said she felt like she should do something to help women re-enter society, and Edwards was the connection she needed to turn her sentiment into reality.
After Edwards spoke to Spark’s class, Stanley and Caldwell spoke to Edwards to get more information and begin working on a drive to help incarcerated women.
Stanley said he and Edwards spoke about the priority need for books in NWACCC.
Stanley said the primary reading materials accessible to women at NWACCC are religious texts. The drive is focused on collecting various types of literature for the center, such as self-help, fiction and non-fiction books.
“My goal is to let them know that people on the outside are thinking of them and hoping to support them to transition back into society,” Stanley said.
The drive is also partnering with Sigma Tau Delta, the UA English honor society, which Stanley is the president of. He said he also wants to partner with local businesses.
The UA English honor society wants to give back to the community that has already given them so much, Stanley said. They also want to make sure that the drive will have a better chance of outreaching and showing support for those who have to deal with recidivism rates that can affect them and a lack of support in society, he said.
As a member of the Sustainable Fashion Club, Caldwell said she is also trying to involve the club in the drive. For the clothing drive, Caldwell said the drive will accept all women’s clothing of any size for any season.
“Hopefully by providing them with some clothes, I can take one thing off their mind in their transition back to society,” Caldwell said.
Stanley said he and Caldwell hope to create a part two to the drive in the form of a women’s re-entry package, which would include clothing, access to jobs that will hire the formerly incarcerated, a resume workshop and with various other resources to assist them re-entering society.
“I’m really excited that they are pursuing this,” Sparks said. “I don’t think I’ve had any (students) reach out to the community corrections center before.”