Programs Gives Female Felons A Chance To Rebuild

Friday, August 17th 2007, 8:01 pm

By: News On 6

Oklahoma leads the nation when it comes to incarcerating women. After they serve their time, many have a hard time trying to make a living. The News On 6â€™s Ashli Sims reports a local business is giving female felons a chance to restore and rebuild.

Refurbishing wood furniture is as much art as it is skill. It's a delicate balance sanding away the scarred and scuffed outer layer to reveal the natural beauty beneath.

"You can see something and think â€˜aw you need to throw that in the trash.â€™ But then you start working with it, and it comes out,â€ said CertiRestore worker DeAngela Wallace.

DeAngela Wallace and Jenny Graham know a little something about peeling back the layers.

"Itâ€™s just a new beginning for me,â€ Wallace said.

Wallace spent two years in prison for drug crimes. Jenny Graham is also a convicted felon. Before they came to CertiRestore, they were a lot like the discarded furniture.

"Loyal and hard-working, but when they see that felony it doesn't matter. I had a good resume from before, but it doesn't matter. They see that felony and they put your application in the trash,â€ Graham said.

Resonance Center for Women started this restoration business to give women with records a skill, a job and a chance at a new life.

Jenny Graham broke down an old chair, refurbished it and rebuilt it piece by piece. And that's what Resonance is doing for women's lives.

"I am so glad somebody gave me a chance, because nobody before would ever give me a chance,â€ Graham said.

Resonance helped buff and sand away the old versions of these women and brought out the intelligence and confidence lurking underneath.

The woman who barely got her GED is now a graduate of Tulsa Technology Center, and she's pursuing a business degree.

"It's just all due to Resonance, and the women just holding their hands out and just guiding me and helping me,â€ said Wallace.

And now their hands are shaping some beautiful furniture and a future that will last beyond the workshop.

All of the women involved in the program will learn the business from the bottom up, everything from customer service to marketing to business management.

It's called CertiRestore and by next year, organizers hope proceeds from furniture sales will entirely fund the program.

The store officially opens on Monday.

Watch the video: Business Gives Female Felons A Second Chance