Shoe donations help women

Bridge to Hope Director Linda Swearingen (right) and volunteer Ami Feher picked up donated shoes in Sisters last week. photo by Elise Gourguechon

Most people appreciate a nice new pair of shoes. For women released from incarceration in Central Oregon, a new pair of shoes is a necessity -- and a symbol of hope.

Bridge to Hope is a mentoring program dedicated to helping women criminal offenders in Central Oregon turn their lives around. Many of the women are starting from literally nothing.

"So many of the women come to us without shoes or without clothes," said program director Linda Swearingen. "If you're arrested in your pajamas, that's what you'll be released in."

To help these women take their first steps toward a new life, Terry and John Cheatham of Sundance Shoes in Sisters have been donating Naot Yaleef sandals and some shoes to the Bridge to Hope program for several years.

Swearingen and volunteer Ami Feher picked up a carful of more than 100 pairs of donated shoes last week.

The shoes are not cast-offs; they are new shoes in good condition provided by Cheatham's distributor, with a total value of about $10,000.

"They're the best in the store," Cheatham said. "They're the number-one sandal. It's a pleasure to give someone something that's the best."

Bridge to Hope has helped about 70 women a year since its launch 2-1/2 years ago, Swearingen said. Almost all of the women have a history of substance abuse problems, as well as their criminal record.

Clients must commit to being clean and sober and have a desire to make significant changes in their destructive behavior.

Bridge to Hope mentors offer a support system to help women avoid falling or being forced back into destructive associations and lifestyles. The ministerial program helps provide transitional housing, transportation, care packages and life-skills classes to help women change their path.

The program has prompted some remarkable turnarounds.

According to Swearingen, one woman recently completed three years of college on her way to transferring to Oregon State University; she has gotten off public assistance and secured a full-time job.

Bridge to Hope is considered a "model program" and received some of the Bush administration's first faith-based initiative funding.

Cheatham heard about the program from a friend at church and was happy to be able to make a contribution.

"We are our brother's keeper," she said. "We're supposed to look out for each other."

For more information visit http://www.bthministry.org.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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