Corinna is writing a grant to the city to get funding for us to purchase books on African-American issues to send to those in prison. This is an often-requested but rarely donated area of books for us.
In the process of the application process, it made me think that we needed to reevaluate our mission, both in the text of the mission statement and in general. Here’s a very rough version that I came up with. It uses much of the text of the existing mission statement:
The Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project (MPPP) is an all-volunteer effort that strives to encourage self-education among prisoners in the United States. Our volunteers are concerned citizens and activists interested in rehabilitation, rather than punishment. Â By providing free reading materials upon request, we aid in the rehabilitation process and stimulate critical thinking behind bars. Â The project exists to alleviate pain, boredom, and attrition and to provide a direct opportunity for self-education. Additionally, we exist because prison libraries sometimes fail in this respect and are understocked or only able to be patronized during specific and limited hours.
In addition to the providing books to those in prison, we provide an opportunity for those who are imprisoned to share stories from their lives, both as prisoners, and in general, with people who are not incarcerated.  Conversely, it gives our volunteers an opportunity to consider the first-hand reality of the prison system and the  human implications of this system.  The Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project provides for the beginnings of a dialogue, both within our community and across geographic, economic, and cultural boundaries about prisons and justice – issues that affect us all.
We exist because prisoners are not strangers: they are brothers, sisters, friends, cousins, mothers, and children.