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NEWS
RELEASES
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Program Descriptions
Classic Program
Senior Focus
Crossing Borders
Group changes lives with
the power of stories,
by Sean Cogan
Excerpts from the Lawrence Gazette, Vol.1, No. 10, June 2008
"When Marvin Bethea started in a People and Stories program while in Rescue Mission of Trenton about 6 years ago, he didn't want anything to do with it.
"He thought it was pointless, but after a few sessions, it started to grow on him.
" 'It was more than just reading a story,' Bethea said. 'It was using the story to talk about our lives.'
"Being able to use literature as a forum to discuss his life and problems with drugs helped him overcome many of his problems, get his GED and get back to his life.
" 'One of the stories we read in a session was actually on my GED test,' Bethea recalled. "I was shocked to see it there. If it had not been for the program, I probably would have had trouble breaking that story down.'
" 'Our mission is to create access to literature and to help participants discover the beauty and power of literature, no matter what their reading level," said Patricia Andres, the Executive Director of People and Stories.
"About 1,000 people go through the program every year, and about 500 of them are from the Trenton area. Most of the participants are from poorer and less educated backgrounds, Andres said.
" 'We have them examine how the story resonates in their own lives....We want participants to understand and appreciate literature even if they don't have the skills in place to read it on their own.'
"Although many of the participants do have lower reading levels, the organization offers programs for people of all backgrounds. It runs programs at prisons and senior groups, where participants range in educational background.
"The organization also runs its Crossing Borders program, which is essentially a normal People and Stories program but with a more diverse group of participants.
" 'Through Crossing Borders, we want to get people together across sociological, ethnic, racial and educational borders,' Andres said.
"The program is also looking to expand its activities for the youth population."