Milestones 12
JANUARY 2022
Recycling program provides job training to former inmates By Lawrence H. Geller
Prison ministry volunteer, Laura Ford, 71, co-founded PAR Recycle Works
Laura Ford, 71, has gone into prisons more times than she can remember over the past 15 years. Not as an offender, but as a volunteer with the prison ministry project of St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church in Germantown. Her work listening to and counseling inmates has been very meaningful. “How to help them when they were released was always a question,” Ford said. Another volunteer, Tim Lyons, 65, agreed. “We spend tons of money putting people into prison and not enough to assist them when they come out,” said Lyons, a minister at St. Vincent’s. These two dedicated prison ministry volunteers joined forces to address this
need in their community. “I heard of a group in Indiana working with former inmates to recycle electronics,” Ford said. “I decided to go out and see if it was something we could do here. I was impressed, and they encouraged me to do it in Philadelphia.” Ford learned there was plentiful work that, by happenstance, was profitable: extracting copper, silver, brass and other metals from the hard drives of old electric equipment. To get the project started, they hosted an electronics collection drive at their church. Members brought in used laptops, desktop computers, monitors and cell phones. The word spread, as connections were made with schools, other churches and universities. After finding a warehouse they could
use to store the donated equipment, grants were obtained from the Vincentians, a religious community; Daughters of Charity; and the Patricia Kind Foundation. In 2015, People Advancing Reintegration, Inc. (known as PAR Recycle Works) was born. After obtaining a supply of used electronics, they needed workers to extract the valuable metals. Recommendations of former inmates were made by probation officers, the Federal Re-entry Court Program and word-of-mouth from the former inmates themselves. As far as pay is concerned, “It’s more than the minimum wage,” Ford said. “Clearly, the 28-hour work week is just a start to the next leap forward for the Continued on page 13
PCA CAREERS IN AGING SERVICES
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Philadelphia Corporation for Aging 642 N. Broad Street Philadelphia, PA 19130
OPEN POSITIONS MAY INCLUDE:
• Meal Distribution Center Manager
• Assistant Director of Community Engagement
• Packer, Meal Distribution Center
• Care Management Case Aid
• Supervisor, Older Adult Protective Services
• Director, Business Administration
• Public Relations Specialist
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• Quality Assurance Manager
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• Graphic Designer & Print Production Manager • Investigator I, Older Adult Protective Services
• Victim Support Coordinator • • • •
Health Benefits 13 Paid Holidays Paid Sick/Vacation Leave Tuition Reimbursement
Open position job descriptions can be found at pcaCares.org/careers.
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) is the first place for older Philadelphians, and adults with disabilities, to turn for information and services to help maintain or improve the quality of their lives. Established in 1973, PCA is a private, nonprofit, nationally recognized Area Agency on Aging. One of the region’s largest nonprofit organizations, PCA contracts with more than 200 community organizations to deliver services aimed at helping older Philadelphians and adults with disabilities achieve their maximum levels of health, independence and productivity. Through its work, PCA touches the lives of more than 140,000 individuals each year.