Baumgardner: Family survives while reaching out to others

First things First

By Julie Baumgardner

After graduating from high school with a full scholarship and plans to become a lawyer, Catherine Tijerina found herself in an unimaginable place.

Her husband had just been sentenced to prison for 14 to 25 years for a crime he did not commit. She sat in her driveway trying to figure out how to explain to her young sons why Daddy didn't come home that day.

"I was in shock," said Catherine. "Little did I know that the devastation I felt was just the beginning of a journey of pain, shame, embarrassment and social shunning that incarceration had created for our family. You shouldn't have to explain prison to little children. I was angry and frustrated. People started avoiding me because they didn't know what to say."

While Ron joined the nearly 2 million Americans who lost their identity to a prison number, Catherine and her sons joined the forgotten victims, the families of the incarcerated.

During the 15 years of incarceration, the Tijerinas overcame many obstacles including welfare, poor lifestyle choices and a host of other issues inherent to family separation resulting from incarceration.

Ron Tijerina learned to function as a husband and father from behind bars and inspired his wife to successfully get off welfare.

Despite their hardships, they built a new life together for their children, one free of shame and embarrassment.

"Fifteen years was a difficult road. But because of it, we got to a place where our marriage was healthy, our faith was strong and our children thriving in spite of the horrible circumstances," said Catherine.

"As time passed, we witnessed dozens of families fall apart and hundreds of children suffering. My husband and I began to envision an outreach to keep young people from making choices with negative consequences and help those who have already made mistakes build a new life - developing strong families and responsible citizens."

In 1993, the Tijerinas began a program called Keeping FAITH (Families and Inmates Together in Harmony). Ron mentored imprisoned men while Catherine encouraged their families.

In 2000, while Ron was still incarcerated, they founded the Ridge Project. They continued to mentor incarcerated men and work with their families while adding an after-school program to help at-risk or struggling youth.

In September 2006, Ron was released from prison. Within two weeks, they were awarded a grant to work in prisons.

The Ridge Project is nationally recognized for its remarkable impact on those it serves. Families are being strengthened, youth are making wise choices and setting high goals, and generational cycles of welfare dependency, incarceration and fatherlessness are being averted and broken. The Tijerinas turned obstacles into opportunities.

E-mail Julie Baumgardner at julieb@firstthings.org.

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