“I do this because the people I serve really need someone in their corner.”
The Ivy Young Willis & Martha Willis Dale Award has been presented to a woman who has made noteworthy contributions to her community since 1992. The 2016 honoree is Carla Clanagan, founder of the In His Eyes Outreach program on March 30. This event was held at the Mansion.
This award was created to honor Ivy Young Willis, who paved the road for teaching and reading on public television. William Willis created this award in 1992 to honor his late wife. “The history and political science department here at Cabrini has been shepherding this award [since 1992],” chair of the history and political science department Dr. Darryl Mace said.
Mr. Willis added Martha Willis Dale to the award after her passing in 2012.
“Mr. Willis chose Cabrini as the stewards of this award because of his daughter, Martha, and her love for the institution,” senior religious and American studies major Abigail Pressimone said.
Martha Willis worked for 26 years as the Director of Alumni Affairs. She also worked to get the mansion recognized as a historic landmark.
“[Mr. Willis’] hope is to present a role model for women,” Pressimone said.
Clanagan’s program works with incarcerated men and women in multiple ways.
“It’s all about re-entry services,” Clanagan said. “The first program that was created was the mentoring program.”
Here, volunteers who are trained go into jails and mentor those on the inside. These mentoring sessions last for about an hour once a week. Once the mentees are released from jail, the mentor will stay in touch with them to help navigate them through life.
Even after the mentoring is complete, those involved in the program return to Clanagan for advice. “I have become a part of their life,” Clanagan said. “They always gravitate back to me.”
In addition to the re-entry programs, Clanagan has also created DAKMAK, which stands for Dads and Kids, Moms and Kids Reunification. The goal of this is to help those children with incarcerated parents. Clanagan makes sure those children with incarcerated parents feel no different than other children. She makes sure each child has school supplies, Thanksgiving dinner and even Christmas gifts.
Another aspect of this program is teaching parenting classes. She teaches co-parenting skills for those who have one parent inside and one parent outside. This not only helps to prevent incarcerated women from losing custody of their children but also so mothers and children can still be connected during her stay. For those parents who have successfully taken the parenting classes, they have the ability to visit with their children in a bright, kid-friendly visiting room.
“This program is the first formal mentoring program offering in Montgomery County,” president Don Taylor said. “Ms. Clanagan’s goal is to strengths their relationships and help them build a better community.”
Clanagan is always looking for volunteers. Unfortunately, many drop out after having an in-depth tour of the jail. Students are available to volunteer. “I’ll put you to work,” Clanagan said in a Q&A session, which followed the award ceremony. The In His Eyes Outreach even offers summer internships and senior internships.
Although Clanagan’s program is currently limited to the Philadelphia area, she one day hopes to see these programs spread throughout the nation.
“Jail does not solve any of their issues or problems,” Clanagan said. “It’s programming, it’s counseling, it’s mentoring and working together.”
