FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 9, 2014

CONTACT: Peter Van Delft
(617) 704-6682

SHERIFF TOMPKINS JOINS PROJECT PLACE FOR 47TH ANNUAL MEETING

Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, Project Place Executive Director Suzanne Kenney (far right), and POWR (Partnerships to Opportunities for Women in Re-entry) Director Beth Carter (second from left) help present the Graduate Award to LaCresha Edgerly.

Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins recently participated as a guest speaker at Project Place’s 47th Annual Meeting and “Partners–At–Work Awards.”

The meeting served as an opportunity to highlight the progress of the organization throughout the fiscal year, while also recognizing the dedication of members of the Project Place community who have invested time helping those in need.

Project Place is a supportive community organization that promotes hope and opportunity for homeless and low–income individuals by providing the skills, education and resources to obtain stable employment and housing.

During the event, members of Project Place also awarded Sheriff Tompkins with two honors: the first was given for his support of women’s programming and the second award recognized him as a “Champion for Successful Reentry Programming.”

With a collaboration that has lasted for more than eight years between Project Place and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, the two organizations have also joined together on numerous recent endeavors including the Career Workshop, held at the House of Correction for the past two years running, in which female inmates receive the opportunity to participate in mock job interviews with a variety of participating employers; and the establishment of a new Women’s Career Center at the House of Correction.

Sheriff Tompkins helped to present to the Partners–At–Work Awardees, a list that included Jean Tempel, who received the Community Partners at Work Award; Rick DiGregorio, who received the Volunteer of the Year Award, and LaCresha Edgerly, who received the Graduate Award.

After speaking to the celebrants about the importance of the partnership between the Sheriff’s Department and Project Place, and its role reducing incarceration and recidivism, Sheriff Tompkins commended Project Place and its extraordinary staff for their persistence in the cause of helping the less fortunate, despite facing many obstacles.

“For 47 years, this organization has been finding its way around the word ‘no,’” said Sheriff Tompkins. “This organization has found a way to partner with organizations like ours, as–well–as individuals, legislators, and others to get to ‘yes.’ They have found a way to accomplish feats that may have been thought by some to be impossible. But, they’ve been able to do so because there is a group of dedicated, hard–working individuals that work here – they just simply care. That’s the big thing. And, I want you to know that we will always be there to help your organization because what you do saves lives.”

For more information about Project Place, please visit www.projectplace.org/.

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