June 2017 Volume 1, Issue 3 PRISON ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM SANDERS ESTES UNIT VENUS,TEXAS CHRONICLE ARMANDO CANALES: Public Speaking Challenge ALCON PITCH PANEL EVENT May 11, 2017 marked a huge milestone for the Prison They offered a bunch of helpful advice and feedback to Entrepreneurship Program. This was the first time that the future entrepreneurs enabling them to excel at the strictly Alcon employees have come to volunteer with the Venture Capital Event. program, and the Pristine ’17 class was the lucky ones which got to bring it in! One of the highlights of the day was when Keith Bird led “Walk the Line"; All of the volunteers and participants The employees at Alcon have a chance to contribute com- had a chance to approach a line on the floor if they had munity service hours each year. They have a few different done certain things in life. These ranged from being born choices on where they get to do the volunteering, and this out of country, to growing up in a broken home, and even year one of the choices they could make was to come and using drugs and/or alcohol. It is surreal to see the volunteer with PEP for a day. This is solely thanks to Keith Bird who is a very active executive volunteer with CHRISTOPHER KEYES: PEP– Living between the wings at all times! Willpower-Do You Have It? Keith loves to come to prison and advocates it to his coworkers and friends. He not only comes to help teach Men’s Fraternity, but also comes to as many events as possible if he is not busy with work or out of the country on business trips. The Alcon Event was a Venture Capital Panel-like event Inside this issue: where the participants were able to give their “elevator pitches” in front of panels of newcomer volunteers. This Bridges to Life & PEP 3 event was a chance to open the eyes of volunteers and Public Speaking 4 participants alike, and it succeeded! All of the Alcon staff that attended the event loved it and were extremely excit- Willpower 5 ed about the pitches and business ideas that they heard. Continued - Page 2 Health Corner 6 Critical Thinking 7 Book Review 8 VENTURE CAPITAL PANEL EVENT The much anticipated Venture Capital Panel Event has tiontion ofof thethe classclass waswas mademade evidentevident onon thisthis day.day. ManyMany ofof finallyfinally comecome toto pass.pass. WithWith oneone moremore eventevent completedcompleted thethe thethe pitchespitches werewere examplesexamples ofof thethe levellevel ofof excellenceexcellence thatthat Pristine ’17 is now one step closer to Graduation! thethe TCUTCU studentsstudents willwill bebe expectedexpected toto deliverdeliver inin theirtheir ele-ele- vator pitches, bragged the TCU professors. There were a remarkable amount of first time volunteers at this event. Many of these included students from TCU and friends of repeat volunteers. There were six first tim- Chris Winfield - ers who were selected to dance to the front of the room— conquering all of the three most common fears in one Editor in Chief day. The first most common fear being going to prison, Cameron Gilliland - thethe secondsecond mostmost commoncommon fearfear isis publicpublic speakingspeaking andand thethe lastlast isis publicpublic dancing.dancing. Editor Mark Gregulak - The VCP Event is a “Shark Tank”--likelike eventevent inin whichwhich thethe participants stand in front of a panel and give an “elevator Staff Writer pitch” of two to three minutes. Jaime Edwards - The elevator pitch is intended to draw the panel’s atten- Staff Writer tiontion in,in, shedshed insightinsight intointo whatwhat theirtheir businessbusiness is,is, andand showshow why they should invest in it. The hard work and dedica- Continued -- Page 2 PEP Chronicle June 2017 Page 2 ALCON PITCH PANEL EVENT cont. questions that everyone responds to and those that only come back as soon as possible. one side or the other does. It makes you reflect on the We cannot wait to see them all again and hope events and choices in your life that led you up to that that this is not the last time that we have an Alcon Event moment. You see how you can be just like the volunteers here at the Sanders Estes Unit. It is a beautiful thing to and worlds apart all at the same time. see lives forever changed and transformations occur—not Another highlight of the event was the six who only for those of us currently incarcerated, but also have got to dance up to the front of the room. This time, how- our beloved volunteers take a life changing and eye open- ever, not just PEP participants danced, but six Alcon ing experience out into the world with them. The tools employees as well, dancing to the front of the room and that everyone learns here can be transferred into our eve- speaking on their prison experience. The volunteers ryday lives, which in turn has the potential to transform spoke very openly and boldly of their newfound love for entire communities! this wonderful program and how they are very eager to Cameron Gilliland– Editor VENTURE CAPITAL PANEL EVENT cont. Some participants were very nervous standing in front of future events. This is great because every little bit of help thethe panel,panel, andand thisthis nervousnessnervousness oftenoften ledled toto stumblesstumbles dur-dur- goes a long way in here, positively influencing not just inging theirtheir pitches.pitches. the incarcerated. Hopefully this nervousness is relieved by the time that the The volunteers leave here with an experience that can Business Plan Competition comes around. All in all, the help shape their lives - PEP is not just transforming the participants did very well and all of the executives were lives of inmates but executives as well, as the mission impressed.impressed. TheyThey couldcould sensesense thethe passionpassion andand purposepurpose thatthat statement claims. This event is clear evidence of this thisthis programprogram givesgives toto thosethose thatthat onceonce feltfelt lostlost oror likelike giv-giv- truth, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that we inging upup onon life.life. cannot wait to see how the final pitch competition goes and how it affects us all! These first-timers who danced to the front of the room Cameron Gilliland—Editor were very impressed by PEP and all want to come back to PEP Chronicle June 2017 Page 3 BRIDGES TO LIFE & PEP - A NATURAL FIT Bridges to Life is a program that try to skate around this subject, vism statistic from TDJC that - THIS IS YOUR LIFE teaches offenders to understand the avoiding the guilt associated with only 14.5%. This program is de- impact their actions have on others accountability. When we fail to signed to help offenders understand Do what YOU love and by allowing victims of crimes to identify with what we are responsi- what they did and who it impacted DO IT often share their stories. Many of the ble for, the chances that these nega- so that they will not reoffend again volunteers are actually the victims tive behaviors will happen again and come back to prison. Their If you don’t like some- of crimes or have had their lives radically increase. goal is pretty much the same as thing, CHANGE it. effected by crime, directly or indi- PEP’s- get you out and keep you If you don’t like your rectly. PEP’s presence was very evident at out. the event. The majority of the job, QUIT. Thursday,May11, 2017,participants participants are also members of As a graduate of this program, I If you don’t have graduated from the 14 week Bridg- PEP. Even the Encouragers, which want to encourage all of my PEP enough time, STOP es to Life course and shared what are past graduates that help facili- brothers to enroll in the next Bridg- watching TV. they learned with attendees. Not tate, were almost all PEP members. es to Life session that begins this only did participants share, but the Many times when participants August. You can enroll by submit- If you are looking for volunteers did too. It was a heart- would describe what they had ting a request via an I-60 to the the love of your life, felt evening as both sides relayed learned over the PA system, one Chaplin’s office. The curriculum is STOP. the emotional journey they had could hear people in the audience a great tool in helping us make the They will be WAITING taken to the audience. yell “Own it!” All in attendance changes needed for our transfor- for you when you start laughed as PEP “Sweet Names” mation. I cannot forget to mention doing the things you PEP and Bridges to Life have many names were announced. the stellar cupcakes at the gradua- love. similar virtues. They both stress tion ceremony too. All in all, this accountability in order for partici- Jim Buffington, COO of Bridges to program is beneficial in so many Stop over analyzing, pants to be able to identify negative Life and PEP volunteer, announced ways. LIFE IS SIMPLE. behavior so it can be remedied. that they had just received a new By Jaime Edwards Many times we, as offenders, often Bridges to Life graduate recidi- All emotions are BEAU- TIFUL. BRIDGES TO LIFE GRADUATES AND ENCOURAGERS—PEP BROTHERS When you eat, APPRE- CIATE every last bite. Juan Tobias Gerald Holcknecht Sammy Monical Christopher Stewart Pedro Salazar Open your mind, arms, Jeremy Jones Luis Valadez Elston Tatum Luis Sabogal Erasmo Lopez and heart to NEW Michael Bush Chris Jimenez Jonathan Fearn Eric Alvarado Jason Long things AND people.