All Done!

We have completed our “Back to Work: Professional Writing Workshop.” The workshop was a six week program for twenty-four inmates to improve their writing skills for resumes and cover letters. Our project started in August at the Federal Correctional Institution in Morgantown, WV in efforts to reduce the re-incarceration rates of released inmates.

Dr. Reibold, a retired economics teacher, graciously took the twenty-four students under his wing and made a difference in their lives. Many of the students appreciated his determination for them to succeed and to make a better life for themselves. “This is why I teach. I teach to push students to their full potential, especially when they need it the most,” said Dr. Reibold.

All twenty-four students have successfully completed the six week workshop and will receive a certificate in honor of their participation and improvements from day one. Along with the completion of the course they are now able to create effective, professional resumes and cover letters.  They have learned how to research companies, positions, and how to dress professionally for interviews and job fairs.

In addition to the workshop, they were able to attend a job fair hosted by several local businesses in the Morgantown area. Of the twenty-four students, sixteen were offered jobs upon release from prison. “After learning the right way to write a resume and learning what a cover letter was, I felt more confident going into the job fair and talking to employers,” stated a student. Majority of the students had the same thought.

As a part of the class and maintaining their employment, we will follow up with each student in one year. This will allow us to see how effective the workshop is for inmates and where we can make improvements. It can also show us how effective the program is at keeping them out of a crime ridden lifestyle, which plays a huge part in recidivism. We can’t wait to hear all the success stories!

We would like to thank the Federal Correctional Institution in Morgantown for allowing us to carry out our workshop in their facility. They have been extremely accommodating with the classroom, inmates, and Dr. Reibold. Due to the success of the workshop, they have offered to keep it a permanent program to offer to more inmates.

We would also like to acknowledge the Human Fund for the $5,000 grant used for the new laptops, textbooks, and printer. Another thanks for the local businesses that have provided positions of employment for the inmates. And a special thanks goes out to Dr. Reibold for volunteering all his time to the program and making it a success.

Most importantly, we want to thank all of you for your support, donations, and volunteering. If you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns, we would love to hear from you! Stay posted for more information on projects, fundraising, and ways for you to volunteer!

Suit Up!

We are happy to report that at this stage in the program the participants have made some great strides in their writing. When the program first began they seemed nervous and hesitant to begin writing documents, now we are seeing a high level of confidence in not only their work, but themselves as well. Although as many of us know it's not just about being the part, you gotta look the part as well. That is why we are asking for you to help our participants...

By teaching them the skills to properly write employment documents we are giving them the confidence they need to put their information out there. Now we need to give them the confidence they need to walk through the door.

The good people over at English 304 Men's Wear have generously donated a few items to help us get started, but that is not all. If you donate your old work clothes (suits, dress shirts, ties) within the next 2 weeks, English Men's Wear will take half off of your next order. So you think it's time to hang up that old suit for good? Let us take it off your hands and receive 50% off of your next order at English 304 Men's Wear.

Everybody knows there is no other feeling quite like the one of looking your best. Please help our participants be their best.

Guest Blogger: Dr. Riebold!

Hi blog-readers!  I'm Dr. Riebold.  The wonderful people at 304 Community Education asked me to give a personal update on the Back to Work program at FCI Morgantown.  I am very grateful that the organization has let me volunteer my time and efforts to help our community.  It's nice to kick off retirement every once in a while and teach for a bit and I must say, this program is moving along splendidly.

As most of our readers already know, the Back to Work program is a six-week resume & cover letter writing workshop for inmates at FCI Morgantown.  I have 24 students total, and we have finally reached the halfway point. My students are putting a lot of effort into their revisions and their resumes look amazing.  They have really surprised me in the time and effort they are putting into making their documents organized and professional.

Some of the most amazing resumes have come from students who thought a resume was just a hand-written list of their name, phone number and previous experience.  I am glad they have learned how to effectively organize their work, focus on making documents look professional and effectively sell themselves for a position.  (I am really proud.)

Hector's original "Resume"

Hector's Current Draft of his Resume

We will be starting cover letters next week and I hope to see as much effort put into them as the resumes.  If anyone wants to help me grade and revise these documents, I'd be glad to have an assistant go over everything with me.  Feel free to contact me or any of the members at 304 Community Education via their email at English304@gmail.com or (304) 293-5566.

First Day of Classes!

The first day of the Back to Work program was a tremendous success!  Our resume and cover letter program had a great turnout today.  Many of the students really enjoyed learning how to prepare themselves for getting a job after they are released.

As usual, a member from our team was on scene to make sure that English 304 Community Education's vision for the program was being carried out.  Andrea was very pleased with the enthusiasm of the students.  According to her, "Many of the students have shown an incredible improvement in just one day.  I can't wait to see their progress at the end of the program!"

According to Dr. Reibold, all of the students attended and participated in the class.  He was surprised by the willingness to learn had by the students.  "These guys really want to improve their lives.  They want to make sure that they don't end up here again, and I think most of them see this class as a way to stay on the right track.  It's really very inspirational."

We wanted to find out what the students thought about the program.  After class, Andrea interviewed several of the students to find out their opinions.  David, serving a two year sentence for a drug related charge, said, "I know I have made mistakes in my past but that doesn't mean I can't change.  I want to take steps to turn my life around.  This class will help me to get a job and make a better life for me and my family.  I can't tell you how grateful I am to have this opportunity."  Another student named Hector, who is also doing time for a drug related charge, said, "I feel like I have already improved!  When I walked in today, I had no idea where to begin.  When Dr. Reibold asked me to turn in my resume, I handed him a piece of paper with my name and phone number on it.  Now I know that's not even close to a resume."

We are very happy with the results of the Back to Work program thus far.  The remarkable improvements the students have made in the first day gives us hope that the program will be extremely effective.  We really want to see all of the participants succeed and obtain employment after they are released.  Seeing the excitement and gratefulness on the faces of the students makes all of our hard work worthwhile.

If you would like to help out with the Back to Work program by donating supplies or volunteering your time, please contact us at English304@gmail.com.

Andrea and Dr. Reibold going over the syllabus for the
Back to Work Writing Workshop

We Got The Grant!

We have received great news for you today! The Human Fund has approved our grant proposal for $5,000. The funds will be used to support our newest project, "Back to Work:  Professional Writing Workshop." The program was designed to boost employment writing and job interviewing proficiency for inmates who are about to be released back into the workforce.

The money will provide our six week program at the Federal Correctional Institution at Morgantown, WV with the tools to be successful. We plan to purchase the following items according to our proposed budget:

• Six  Dell laptops
• Seven textbooks
• One printer
• Six copies of Microsoft Word Software
• Writing utensils
• Paper

The grant provided by the Human Fund will cover the classroom costs for twenty-four students. Each student will be able to construct their own employment documents on the laptops and follow the lessons in their textbooks. 

With the course we hope to give the inmates the opportunity to change for the better and keep them out of the crime that got them here. Thanks to the help of the Human Fund, it is now possible for us to make a difference in their lives. After completing the program, they will have a better chance to succeed on the outside. 

We can't wait to get our program started this August! Make sure you check back regularly for more details and information on the "Back to Work: Professional Writing Workshop" and thank you for all your support! 

Applying to the Human Fund!

We have recently applied to the Human Fund to subsidize our new program, “Back to Work: Professional Writing Workshop”, which provides additional writing and interviewing skills for incarcerated inmates.

The Human fund was a perfect fit to partner for this program. Because, like the individuals we aim to help, philanthropist and founder, George Costanza had not always taken the righteous path in life. In May 1998, Mr. Costanza was prosecuted for breaking the “Good Samaritan Law”. After this event, George turned around his life and became dedicated to helping other convicted felons receive a second chance at life after prison.

We are proposing a grant for $5,000 dollars. This money will be used to cover laptops, textbooks, a printer, and other writing supplies. We are expecting to hear back at the end of July, Fingers Crossed! As soon as we get notification, we will let all of you loyal followers know the details.

George Costanza
Founder and Philantropist of the Human Fund 

The Revolving-Door

Each year over a half a million people are released from state and federal prisons. Many of these individuals have not completed higher level education and do not possess necessary writing skills for most jobs. This is where we get the Revolving-Door. Unable to support themselves by conventional means, these individuals will commit new crimes or violate their parole. Now where are they? Back in the prison system, via the Revolving-Door.

These individuals become to feel trapped in the Revolving-Door, feeling as though that they have no other choice but to turn to crime. Our program is designed to eliminate those thoughts and hopefully the Revolving-Door in general. Our participants have a large range of needs as they leave the correctional facility.

We aren't just talking about getting them jobs, but finding them a place to live and also helping them deal with any alcohol or drug problems. If the system that is in place now is the Revolving-Door than we want to be known as the escalator. We will support our participants, but we need them to take a few steps as well.

Here at English 304 Community Education we take our jobs very seriously. This is more than teaching our participants writing skills. This is more than a six week program. This about changing their lives forever and providing them with the means to support themselves. Our guidance does not end when they leave our program, we continue to follow them as they reintegrate themselves into the real-world. We also urge our participants to stay in contact with us, here on the site.

Prison systems soak up billions of dollars in taxpayers money. Lowering recidivism rates will not only decrease the amount of crimes, but it will also save states' money that can be put toward schools and the community. We have to realize that this isn't an isolated problem affecting a small population. This is hurting the nation as a whole and in a time of economic depression, this is not a problem that we can afford.

Our program seeks to lower recidivism by creating meaningful skills, and establishing a work ethic in our participants.

Introducing our newest program!

We are very happy to introduce you to our newest endeavor here at English 304 Community Education: Back to Work: Professional Writing Workshop! We will be submitting a grant proposal to the Human Fund in order to start a resume and cover letter workshop at FCI Morgantown, a minimum security prison in town. The program,designed to reduce re-incarceration rates by providing inmates with the skills they need to get jobs after being released from prison. The workshop will be taught by Dr. Robert Reibold, and classes are scheduled to begin on August 1.


Back to Work: Professional Writing Workshop will offer inmates useful job-finding skills as well as providing them with the knowledge of creating the various documents necessary for obtaining employment. These skills are important because research has shown that offenders who get a job after they are released from prison have a much lower rate of re-offending. This means better, more productive, lives for them and lower taxes for us!


For more information on Back to Work: Professional Writing Workshop, or if you would like to get involved with English 304 Community Education by donating or helping with our programs, please contact us at English304@gmail.com. We are a non-profit organization and we are always looking volunteers!