"It's truly an amazing thing," he said.
The first man he hired is a friend of the family. He gave the man a "future hire date" because he was skeptical. However, when the man returned to fill out an application for a temporary warehouse job and told Van Wechel, the operations manager and human resources director at T&R Distributing, that he was willing to do anything, Van Wechel hired him for a full-time position on the spot.
"He showed a huge desire for a second change and to be given a shot," Van Wechel said. "He's sincere about wanting to change his lifestyle and he's proven himself. He's also brought in some of his friends and they are some of the best workers I have."
There are some adjustments that need to be made. For example, Van Wechel gives the men time off for court dates and works with probation and parole officers when necessary.
"That's just the way it is," he said. "They usually try to
work extra hours for the time they've been gone. They're
willing to do so much more because we give them a little."
Van Wechel said he has supported his employees by attending
Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings with
them, and has witnessed the employees giving each other
support as well.
Because of his positive experiences, Van Wechel is a huge
supporter of the Heartland Re-Entry AfterCare program started
in Grand Island by Lauri Westfall.
Westfall's son is a federal inmate who was held for a time at
the Hall County Jail. She learned about RAC from an uncle in
Iowa. The program aims to help inmates re-enter society after
being incarcerated. Several "core teams" of volunteers meet
regularly in Grand Island to assist former inmates with
finding housing, vehicles and jobs, she said.
Van Wechel plans to share his thoughts on hiring felons during
a meeting June 9 at the Law Enforcement Center.
Paul Harrison of an RAC program in Iowa will also speak at the
informational meeting. He plans to talk about the tax credits
that are available to businesses that hire felons. He will
also talk about the life skills and sense of accountability
that having a job gives someone who has a criminal record.
"It's not as tough as you might think," he said of employing
felons. "It's all about matching skills with needs."
In addition to assisting with jobs, housing and
transportation, RAC volunteers teach former inmates about
money management, budgeting and how to communicate with an
employer, he said.
Close to 60 people have volunteered to help with the local RAC.
About 35 of them make up five core teams, Westfall said. So
far, the program, which started in Central Nebraska at the
beginning of the year, has one participant and four
applicants, she said.
The local RAC's first participant was reluctant to ask for
help but within 24 hours of her first meeting with her team,
she had a job, Westfall said.
As word about the program spreads, Westfall has been receiving
calls and e-mails from people interested in starting Re-Entry
AfterCare programs in other Nebraska communities. The new
contacts have helped organizations in various towns find out
what's available to help people who are being released from
jail and prison, she said.
"That's a big deal, having the left hand know what the right
hand's doing," she said. "Sometimes, a new environment helps
people stay clean and out of trouble."
She has also gotten feedback from people who want to add to
the ministry in the Grand Island area. For example, one man
wants to start a mission home in town and the current RAC
group is working on implementing a "Wheels to Work" program,
she said.
Wheels to Work helps get vehicles to RAC participants who need
affordable transportation to and from a job, she said. Several
dealerships in town have expressed interest in selling
trade-in vehicles to RAC for a very low price. RAC volunteers
will then sell the vehicles, for the same price, to a RAC
participant, she said. The program is a tax write-off for the
dealerships, she said.
"We're making something good happen out of something bad," she
said.
Find out more
Anyone interested in learning more about hiring convicted
felons is invited to a free information meeting from noon to
1:30 p.m. June 9 in the Community Room of the Law Enforcement
Center.
The Heartland Re-entry AfterCare group is also hosting a
meeting about starting a mission house in Grand Island at 5
p.m. today at the Third City Christian Church.
The next RAC training program meeting will take place from 4
to 8 p.m. next Sunday at the Third City Christian Church.
For more information about any of the meetings, contact Lauri
Westfall at 381-8231 or lauri.aftercare@gmail.com.