Hospice Volunteer, Alternatives To Violence Facilitator, Writer
CurrentI volunteer in private homes and skilled facilities providing companionship, and comfort to Hospice patients and their families. It is a true gift to spend time with those who are facing end-of-life decisions with grace, wisdom and love. I learn so much from them and am honored to be invited into their lives.I also Facilitate experiential weekend Alternative to Violence (AVP) workshops in local prisons. I marvel at the transformative power of the program and at the courage it takes for inmates to face prior adversity - many suffering from PTSD in their lives as infants, toddlers & youth - and at the same time to acknowledge and accept responsibility for the pain they may have caused others by their prior actions. We as a society incarcerate more individuals than any other civilized country, breaking up families and "throwing away" valuable potential contributors to society at a great moral and monetary expense to our country. I am encouraged by the success of programs such as the AlVP project and Restorative Justice programs that have great potential to prevent future violence, creating a more just and peaceful society, both here in the USA and around the world.
