Turning Leaf Project, Changing lives, Restoring Hope
May 4, 2015
Grand Opening of The Turning Leaf Project Reentry Center
When 10:00am – 10:30am, Monday, May 11, 2015
Where 2718 Azalea Drive, North Charleston
The Center is adjacent to the Snyder Events warehouse.
Parking – Limited parking is available directly in front of the Center. Additional parking is available outside of the Snyder Events gated area.
Normally a person leaves jail only with what he came in with – a few dollars in his pocket, the clothes he was arrested in – and if he’s lucky, a ride home and a place to live. But on April 15th, twelve men were released from the Charleston County Detention Center with a lot more than what they came in with. As participants in the Turning Leaf Project, they left jail as employees of the City of Charleston.
The Turning Leaf Project is dedicated to building a healthier and safer community by reducing incarceration rates and empowering individuals to reenter their neighborhoods as positive and contributing community members. Staff of the Turning Leaf Project work with select inmates at the Charleston County jail to prepare them for release. The men develop problem solving, decision making and social skills while they are still in jail. Upon release, they remain in the program for 4 to 6 months and continue their work in rehabilitation classes and job training for forty hours a week.
The grand opening of the Reentry Center for the Turning Leaf Project marks a milestone for the Charleston community. Participants in the Turning Leaf Project will now have a place to go for reentry training after they leave jail. The Center will allow the Turning Leaf Project to more effectively assist men in turning their lives around as they re-enter society, which benefits the entire community.
Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, Police Chief Gregory Mullen and South Carolina US Attorney Bill Nettles, key advocates for the Turning Leaf Project, will dedicate the Turning Leaf Reentry Center on May 11th at 10:00 a.m. To conclude the dedication, Mayor Riley will cut a ribbon inside the Turning Leaf Center to symbolize the men leaving the program as transformed citizens.
Turning Leaf Project Director Amy Barch and a number of program participants will be available for interviews after the event.
