PEP Welcomes Class 13 at Kick-Off Event

On January 22, PEP officially welcomed more than 90 new participants into Class 13 at our Kick-Off event. 20 PEP graduates and 69 executives joined us at the Cleveland Correctional Unit to help usher in the new class. While Class 13 has been attending classes and learning the PEP way since the beginning of January, this was their first opportunity to strut their stuff in front of their free world guests.

To see photos of this fabulous event, visit our photo gallery here.

For more information about attending Class 13 events, check out our RSVP web site here.

The Kick-Off Experience

A first-hand look at a PEP event from Kick–Off Guest, Beth Valente, CEO, TSN International.

As I sit on the plane on the way home from the PEP Class 13 kickoff —I sit back and think about how blessed I am to be able to experience Prison. I leave those gates — with more life‚ more hope‚ more enthusiasm. Wondering how I could get everyone I care about to be able to experience prison. I know that If someone said to me‚"where do you think you would go to witness second chances and forgiveness?" it would be‚ surprisingly‚ in Cleveland‚ Texas.



This will be the third class that I will see matriculate through PEP. The transformation of their lives over the 5-month program is an honor to watch – the pride and love of their families on graduation day is something everyone should be able to experience. I am such a believer in this program that I am opening an Travel Marketing Office in Houston so that I can hire some of the graduates and help them move toward their dream of owning their own business.

I am continuously humbled by the honesty‚ respect and love that I see with "the guys" in PEP –all the things that this world could use so much more of.

PEP wins Weinberg $250,000 Challenge Grant for 2009

The Weinberg Foundation’s Board of Trustees recently decided to award PEP the $250‚000 grant for 2009‚ despite being unable to fully meet the original 2009 fundraising challenge. The Foundation cited PEP’s strong results over the past two years‚ and their expectation of strong results in the future as their primary reasons behind the awarding of the funds. Further‚ as a measure of the Weinberg Board’s confidence, PEP is required to raise $1.9+ million in 2010 to receive the final installment of the grant.

Help us reach that goal by donating generously to PEP here.

Calling All Business Minds!

PEP is actively recruiting business executives and MBA students to come alongside our Class 13 participants in the role of Business Plan Advisors.

As an Advisor‚ you will provide both conceptual and grammatical feedback to your assigned participant over a four–month period from February through May. All work is done completely by email, and we highly encourage (but don’t require) a trip to prison to meet your participant as well.

More information and the opportunity to sign up can be found at www.pep.org/advisors. Sign ups are due by Feb. 15‚ 2010.

YOU Could Change a Life!

Read this letter from PEP Volunteer Randy Vanstory for more information on how to get involved with PEP.

A small group of volunteers have been working on a problem that exists for PEP graduates. We are hoping that the vast pool of our Executives, Volunteers, and MBA Students can offer some ideas to help solve this problem. 

Let me paint a picture of the current situation.

Upon release from prison, PEP Participants face several common major hurdles that can impact their chances for success. While most of the PEP participants are well positioned for success upon release from prison, there is a certain portion of each class (about 30% - 40%) that faces more challenges than the rest of the class. 

To learn more about what challenges our participants face, and how you can help, read more of Randy's letter here.

Straight from the Inside

Class 13 is underway! The new class of participants is busy getting into their new schedules‚ churning out homework and beginning to think about their business plans. Check out the journal entries from their fellow PEP participants in Class 12 about their experiences during BPC:

"It seems like only yesterday that I began writing you these newsletters, pretending that I knew what I was talking about. Who would have known‚ huh? Whose brain could conceive that something of this magnitude could be going on inside a small prison in Cleveland‚ TX? I laugh when I see Class 13 coming on to the unit. I mean‚ how could they ever understand what is going to happen?"

Read More Journals Here