CCA Communities Blog

Northeast Ohio Correctional Center sponsored the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life with a facility donation as well as donations raised by the NEOCC team!  The team received a gold member status, for raising over $ 5,000.00 at the event.

Team Moore Haven, Officer Derek Klump, Sgt. Brian Hornsby, Capt. Matthew Bennet and AW  Edward Baldwin shot a 12 under par and came in fourth at the 81^st Annual  Florida Council of Crime and Delinquency Benefit Golf Tournament in Bonita Springs Florida. Rain delayed the tournament 3 times but team Moore Haven pushed through and represented CCA well!

On June 4-5, 2010 North Georgia Detention Center participated in the facility’s first Relay for Life. Their goal was to raise $1,500. Team captain Kelly McCloud and co-captain Penny Abney worked exceptionally hard to keep staff motivated and provide creative ways to raise money. Fundraising efforts included a pie toss with the facility executive staff, a car raffle, parking spot raffles, local restaurant raffles and more. Approximately 28 staff members participated in the 12-hour walk from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The facility successfully met its goal this year.

On April 29, 2010, Eloy Detention Center participated in the Annual Torch Run and raised $2,610 for the Special Olympics by selling shirts and hosting a cookie dough sale.

Zachary Knapp, a correctional officer at Leavenworth Detention Center, was featured in a Q&A article on the sports page of the Leavenworth Times on Friday, July 9. Knapp plays an important role in the community by coaching three local baseball teams in three different age groups – the Post 23 LV Diamond Jaxx of the American Legion Post 23 League, the Diamond Jaxx of the Sandy Koufax League and the Little Jaxx of the Willie Mays League in Leavenworth. The players range in age from 8 to 17. Knapp has been coaching for the past three years.

Byron Brown, assistant warden at Florence Correctional Center, was one of 40 MBA students from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, who participated in a two-day mock budget exercise at the Arizona Capitol on July 6-7, 2010. Students played the roles of legislators and lobbyists as they worked to pass their own mock budget on the Senate floor. Governor Jan Brewer, Secretary of State Ken Bennett and a representative from the Attorney General’s Office participated in the event, which was part of a course called “Business and Public Policy.” [Byron Brown with AZ State Treasurer Dean Martin and current candidate for Governor of AZ and another student]

Hardeman County Correctional Facility hosted the 2nd Annual Charity Softball Tournament. Teams from Hardeman, Whiteville Correctional Facility, West Tennessee Detention Facility, Statewide Pawn Shop and Wal-Mart of Bolivar participated in the event. All of the teams played hard and played well. Through the event, $1,200 was raised for The Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse (Hardeman County Chapter). In spite of the heat the teams hung in there for the double elimination tournament. Whiteville Correctional Facility’s team, coached by unit manager Anthony Bennett, took the #1 spot for the second year in a row.

Stewart Detention Center recently painted CCA’s new tag line, “America’s Leader in Partnership Corrections” on the facility’s water tower.

Alisha Byerly, a unit clerk at Davis Correctional Facility, recently raised nearly $3,000 for the March of Dimes’ March for Babies, which was held on May 22. The facility’s more than 300 employees joined together to raise the funds, largely due to Byerly’s efforts. Through a facility-wide awareness and fundraising drive launched by Byerly, employees collectively contributed $2,827.  At the March of Dimes walk, Byerly was joined by colleagues from Davis Correctional Facility – correctional counselor Lesa Grizzle, human resources manager Carla Johnston and correctional officer Cindy McKinley.

Cushing, Okla. schools and Cimarron Correctional Facility worked together on a project for Wilson Pre-Kindergarten. The Wilson Booster Club purchased steel, wood, and paint for professional signs to be placed at the school.  Cimarron inmates created the signs free-hand.  Terry Cooper, Cimarron maintenance supervisor, oversaw the inmates while they use the paint and tools to make the signs. Inmates also made signs for the Cushing Middle School gymnasium and for a local event known as “Blues and Barbecue.”