The Fourth Annual International Day of Prayer
for Men and Boys was observed on Sunday,
5 November 2017 and in the United States and jump started the nation’s
observance of International Men’s Day on Sunday, 19 November. 2017.
In the City of Philadelphia, the fifth largest metropolitan area in the
United States, the Fourth Annual International Day of Prayer was utilized as
a “Call To Action” to the City’s
Interfaith Community to assist in the establishment and implementation of
Transformational Centers as designed by the SCI Graterford, PA LIFERS Public
Safety Initiative created by Thought Leaders at
SCI Graterford in Graterford, Pennsylvania and
one of the components of OPERATION FRESH START ™, a multi-tiered initiative
crafted by The Honorable James M. DeLeon which is a blueprint for
eradicating recidivism and creating pathways to reintegration and
redemption. The Transformational Centers
will mentor at-risk boys and young adolescent males who lack access to positive
male role models and legitimate real-life options and provide them with a “hand
up” and a “way out” that they seek and need -- a “hand up” and a “way out’
which will move them to reflect on
their behavior, appreciate the community in which they reside, and to realize
their worthiness and the potential they possess and must explore. The observance was conducted at the
Juvenile Justice Center at 48th and Haverford Streets in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Presenters
at the observance included;
The Honorable Vanessa Lowery Brown, a state legislator
for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s 190th Legislative District.
Mr. Carl Cooper, the Chairman of the
SCI Graterford, PA LIFERS Public Safety Initiative which utilizes the Malcolm X
paradigm and cognitive transformation to end the culture of crime rampant in
our communities while simultaneously mentoring Our Sons – the boys and young
men in our midst – and providing them with the “hand up” and the “way out” that they desperately need and seek.
The
Honorable James M. DeLeon, a highly acclaimed veteran jurist in the
Criminal Court Division of Philadelphia’s Municipal Court and the architect of
OPERATION FRESH START™, a results-oriented multi-tiered Initiative which is
viewed as a Global Model for eradicating recidivism and creating pathways to
reintegration and redemption for formerly incarcerated Men and Women. For the past 30 years, Judge DeLeon has presided over thousands
of court cases -- carefully protecting and guarding the interests of citizens
in the City of Philadelphia, the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United
States. Judge DeLeon served as
Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division and is a past Chairman of the
Security Committee for the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia. He also serves under special assignment as
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. Judge DeLeon has practiced before the
United States Court of International Trade, the United States Court of Military
Appeals, United States Army Court of Military Review, and the United States
Court of Appeals.
Mr. Stephen Ridley who coordinates the External
Navigation Project of the SCI Graterford, PA LIFERS Public Safety Initiative
which provides incarcerated individuals who are returning to their families and
communities with essential tools and resources and prepares them to
psychologically and emotionally transition from years and even decades of
incarceration. Mr. Ridley also facilitates behavioral training for District
1199C in his role as the organization’s Manager of Collegiate Programs and
Behavioral Health Training and is an Adjunct Instructor at Drexel University
where he teaches a course in Behavioral Health Training.
Pastor Anthony L. Stevenson, Sr. , the founder of Four Corner Crusade for Life Baptist
Church located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; a Double Certified Master Fatherhood
Trainer and Facilitator for the National Fatherhood Initiative; Founder and
Chief Executive Officer of the Peoples’ Unified Resources Center; Peace
Ambassador for the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations
(“WANG”); and the International Men’s Day Tri-State (Pennsylvania/New
Jersey/Delaware) (USA) Regional Coordinator.
The Honorable Ronald G. Waters, a retired Pennsylvania state legislator who
currently serves as the Chairman of PA FACT Program, Inc. which facilitates the
successful two-tiered Fathers And Children Together Initiative (“FACT”). FACT, which was created and is
co-implemented by members of United Community Action Network (U-CAN) and the
Latino American Cultural Exchange Organization (LACEO) at SCI Graterford in
Graterford, Pennsylvania, is viewed as a Global Model to eradicate intergenerational incarceration
and Fatherlessness.
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