The GEO Alcohol and Drug Addiction Parole and Probation Treatment Center in Reading, Pennsylvania, or ADAPPT, hosted a dinner on March 4 to support victim advocacy, which was organized in conjunction with Safe Berks, one of the center’s community partners.
GEO Reentry Services presented a $200 donation to Safe Berks, an organization that provides ongoing support of counseling services that includes victim advocacy for domestic violence and sexual assault, and female participants from the ADAPPT residential reentry center prepared and served the food.
“We’re proud to have Safe Berks as a community partner and to be able to assist with the important services they give to the community,” said ADAPPT director Mike Critchosin. “I’m grateful to [ADAPPT Clinical Supervisor] Dawn Martin, who did a fantastic job making this event a success, and to our reentrants, for being willing to support the efforts of this important organization.”
Each month, ADAPPT participants contribute hundreds of hours of community service to the Reading community, an initiative that serves ADAPPT’s mission to help others and embrace positive change. After the dinner, ADAPPT received a letter of thanks from Safe Berks’ director of development.
“All the participants were excited and honored to have the chance to give back,” said Martin. “It was a humbling experience for everyone. For one participant, the topic really hit home. She shared her personal experience of domestic violence and said giving back has increased her motivation to make a positive change in her life, both for her daughter and for herself.”
