BIONIC

“BIONIC ~ Believe It or Not, I Care”

Frank & I attended a graduation ceremony last night at the Arizona State Prison-Kingman. ASP – Kingman is a low custody private prison under contract with the Arizona Department of Corrections to provide custody and substance abuse treatment for 1400 adult male offenders who have demonstrated a need for substance or alcohol abuse intervention.

What a celebration this was!

After Ralph McKie, the 1st VP of Vietnam Veterans of America, Mohave County Chapter 975 led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, the festivities began with a bang when the band playing praise music warmed up the crowd of family & friends. With inmates on the guitar, tambourine, & drums, guests clapped their hands to a soulful rendition of “Amazing Grace”. Though I cannot remember the name of the “lead singer,” his powerful voice does stick in my memory.

Kingman Mayor John Salem then delivered a motivational message regarding attitude & the choices we are presented with each day…how our attitude frames our perspective of events that occur in our daily life. Mayor Salem's stories were met with a few laughs and cheers from the inmates and their families.

Proud instructors, led by Dr. Elizabeth Gwynne, MTC's Education Administrator, passed out over 60 diplomas to inmates who successfully completed GED, Creative Writing, and Financial Literacy courses. By the time the graduation ceremony concluded my eyes were wet & swollen, my hands red & raw from clapping, & my heart was bursting with happiness over the accomplishment of these inmates. These guys get it! Taking a bad situation and turning it around shows gumption and character and never fails to amaze me. God's grace and forgiveness is awesome. With HIM, through HIM, all things are possible and work together for good! AMEN!

Rising from my chair to leave the prision, I turned over the graduation program & saw it:

BIONIC ~ Believe It or Not, I Care

Warden Elliot, Chaplin Basye, MCC Instructors, MTC Staff, thank you...I do believe it & so do those men you inspire.