BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Ann Tompkins places a box of donated clothing in a minivan, ready to be distributed as part of the Your Closet program run by Redeem-Her. The group offers assistance to women who have served time in prison and are readjusting to life on the outside. Women who have been incarcerated are making it in the outside world despite countless obstacles that seem to block their way.

Redeem-Her, a nonprofit organization founded by Stacey Kindt, of Lakewood, is offering women a variety of services in addition to support and kinship as they make the transition from inmate to ex-offender.

Kindt, herself an ex-offender, said the goal of Redeem-Her is to promote positive role models to women who are still incarcerated.

“While incarcerated, we see the women who fail at freedom every day,” Kindt said.

Kindt said the fact that 67 percent of released inmates will return to prison within three years contributes to an environment of despair and gives women the feeling that there is no way out of the system.

She said offenders never hear about people who do succeed on the outside and said her organization is hoping to change that.

Redeem-Her provides many social service programs in which the community and the former offenders join together to meet the needs of the recently released women. Kindt said the programs “work well because they were designed by the people who were once a part of the problem and have now become a part of the solution.”

Her motto is that “people really can be redeemed, that people can turn away from their past behavior, even the most abhorrent, and begin anew.”

Kindt said that while she was still in prison she recognized the difficulties women had when they attempted to return to a normal life outside prison walls. She vowed to help correct some of the problems.

Redeem-Her is directed by ex-offenders. It is a self-help social service organization, according to Kindt, which has its roots inside the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, Hunterdon County. It was created by women who fought to change what they saw as a “broken American justice system,” according to Kindt.

Kindt said when women are returned back to society, many find that their needs are increased and remain unmet. Redeem-Her seeks to bridge the gap between incarcerated women and the community, according to the founder.

The program is working, according to Ann Tompkins, who has been in and out of prison and rehabilitation centers for much of her life. She has been through experiences many people would not have survived.

Tompkins was a victim of molestation and she grew up with an alcoholic father. She became addicted to cocaine and alcohol and gave birth to five children. None of Tompkins’ children live with her now for many reasons. Currently, she is trying to gain custody of her youngest daughter, Stacey Lynn, who was named after Kindt.

Kindt and Redeem-Her are helping Tompkins get her life back on track so she can become the mother she knows she can be.

Five years ago, Kindt met Tompkins while they were both incarcerated. Her presence in Tompkins’ life directed her to change things. Tompkins said it is important to be a part of this organization “because it helps us learn how to live life on life’s terms and it gives women the kick-start they need when they get out of prison.”

“We just need a chance,” said Tompkins, who now works as the store manager of Your Closet, one of Redeem-Her’s services for women.

Your Closet meets the practical needs of women who are re-entering society by providing them with clothing and personal hygiene items while at the same time giving them a tangible demonstration that the community at large welcomes them home and is anxious to see them integrate into a productive lifestyle.

In Kindt’s words, “We all know that when you look good, you feel good. Instilling self-esteem is at the heart of our project.”

Your Closet operates through the generosity of those who contribute items such as new and gently used women’s clothing and shoes, intimate apparel and personal hygiene items. Stationery supplies and stamps are also provided.

Kindt’s Internet Web site is filled with testimonials from women who have been recipients of items from Your Closet.

“I see other women in this struggle here wait for things that never come from a place called home. If you could see the smile I see when the women receive your gifts, you would never stop what you are doing,” writes one incarcerated woman.

“I know part of recovery is feeling good about yourself. My problem is that I still don’t have the means to work with right now. ...

I’ve been struggling with this list (from Your Closet) because I don’t want to be greedy. Anything you have will be a great help” writes another person who also offered to help the organization when she got back on her feet.

Another project Kindt is working on is the organization’s Simple But Classy Web sites. A business, a church or even a family can have a presence on the Internet easily and affordably, while making a difference in the life of a woman coming out of prison, according to Kindt.

The project brings together Internet professionals who can accomplish a client’s Web site goals while mentoring a woman in the process. Kindt said the Simple But Classy Web site is reliable and easy to update and a woman gets a chance to learn skills that may someday allow her to run her own entrepreneurial effort in Web site design.

Kindt also puts out a newsletter for members of Redeem-Her. It’s full of information for the newly released and includes inspirational “from the heart” stories as well.

Kindt calls the women she met and became friends with in prison “the most extraordinary women” she has ever known.

“These women are the real heroes. They are the ones who get up every day even after being knocked down over and over again, and I am honored to know all of them. Who would have ever thought that my best friends in the whole world would be ex-felons?”

For more information about Redeem-Her, visit the Web site, www.redeem-her.org, call toll-free 1-888-807-2944, or send an e-mail to info@redeem-her.org.