The University Outreach organization at OU’s College of
Continuing Education received a $2.1 million grant from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services for its program titled
Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope.

The program will serve to mentor children in Oklahoma who have
at least one parent in prison and try to prevent them from
repeating the actions of their parents, said Jacqueline Molina,
administrative assistant to the grant’s author, Cynthia
Timmons.

“Mentoring increases the likelihood of regular school
attendance and academic achievement and decreases the chances of
engaging in self-destructive or violent behavior,” Molina
said.

Molina said that in 1999 it was estimated that 721,000 parents
of children under 18 were held in state or federal prisons in the
United States. Oklahoma leads the nation in the proportion of
inmates who are women, she said.

“This makes Oklahoma an important site for this program
with a spotlight on children whose mothers are incarcerated,”
Molina said.

Timmons said most people do not realize how many children of
incarcerated parents there are in Oklahoma and said her passion for
these children helped her in securing the grant.

“The lack of being with the parent is devastating for
these kids,” Timmons said.

University Outreach will work in collaboration with Big Brothers
Big Sisters of Oklahoma as well as various faith-based,
educational, community and corporate organizations to effectively
identify mentors and children and to support the program, Molina
said.

Timmons said mentors and children will spend at least one hour
per week together doing homework, participating in community
activities and generally establishing a support system.

“The recruitment of volunteer mentors from diverse
backgrounds will increase the likelihood that the diverse needs of
the children will be met,” Molina said.

Timmons said she hopes OU students and staff will apply for
mentoring positions but stressed that because it is a year-round
program, some students may leave town and not be able to fully
participate.

The process of recruiting, screening and training these mentors
will be done by Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“[Mentors] will be given information in order to address
the specific needs of those children affected by that
situation,” Molina said. “The main thing here is
increasing the social, emotional and educational success of this
special group of children and youth.”

Children of Promise-Mentors of Hope will be a three-year
program. Timmons said she hopes matches between mentors and
children will be made no later than Jan. 1, 2005.
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