BOSTON – For one Saturday in June, the dining room at Brooke House took on the feel of a neighborhood brunch spot in honor of Father’s Day, with white tablecloths and heaping plates of blueberry pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
Staff at the reentry program, which serves men transitioning from incarceration to the community, organized the mid-morning meal for the residents, all of whom are fathers. Staff members from McGrath House, a reentry program for women, and Brooke House worked together to plan the event and get the food. Staff members involved in the event included Oluchi Oguchienti, Madeleine Caponite, Claire Serrano-Disla, and Avery Bertocci, Dottie Ellis and Keisha Jagroop.
“I was quite impressed with the team work from both programs,” said Howard Jardine, program director at Brooke House. “Everyone was in it for the residents and it turned out wonderful. The men really appreciated it, and I couldn’t be more proud of the effort the staff put forward.”
Reentry programs help men and women who’ve been incarcerated transition back into the community. Repairing and strengthening connections to family can have a strong positive impact on easing that transition and helping individuals be successful going forward.
CRJ staff at the Brooke House Father’s Day brunch. From left to right left to right: Oluchi Oguchienti, Madeleine Caponite, Claire Serrano-Disla, and Avery Bertocci.