• Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 126
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 4.5
• Miles run during the calendar month: 85.2
• Marathon distances completed: 12
• Weight: 167

Journal of activities:

Today we validated our Straight-A Guide Life Skills Program as an effective resource. It helps people from at-risk populations prepare for law-abiding, contributing lives. We’re not only working with numerous detention centers and schools for at-risk youth, we’re also working with employers and the formerly incarcerated. Part of our vision is to create a bridge between the formerly incarcerated and the labor market. This morning I drove to Stockton to meet with representatives of Fathers and Families of San Joaquin County, a community-based organization that uses our Straight-A Guide Life Skills Program as a teaching resources to help the formerly incarcerated. We want them to validate them as effective job candidates, and then place them in jobs.

With that end in mind, I met with two leaders from Golden State Lumber in Stockton this morning to talk about the value we could bring by providing an entry-level work force. It pleased me when they asked us to send over job candidate at 6:00 am. I contacted leaders of Fathers and Families. They identified the best candidate for this possible job and we coordinated a job for Eddie, an individual from an at-risk background.

Later in the day I met with Jennie Singer, Ph.D. She is a research professor at Sacramento State University. We discussed the possibility of Sacramento State conducting a research project on our Straight-A Guide Life Skills Program. I’m determined to work with academic scholars who will collaborate with me to design a research method and then evaluate our program. Once we receive that evaluation, we’ll be able to say that we have an evidence-based program.