How we got started

Thanks for visiting our blog for Resume Your Life!:  A Literacy Program for the Incarcerated. If you are familiar with our program you know that a lot of time and effort went into planning everything from the budget to the schedule. To get our grant funded we really needed to plan out everything logically. We only had a budget set at $5,000. All of you guys have been really supportive like offering to donate us coffee and other snacks for the employees and other volunteers.

When considering what materials we needed we searched the web for general ideas. Since there are twelve students in each class it was obvious we needed twelve computers. Since the computers were only needed for typing the résumés we did not need anything extravagant. Therefore we chose the Dell Inspiron 14RI14RN-1364DBK 14in Notebook Computer. Each computer was just under $500. Dell also gave us a deal, giving us Microsoft word for free on each computer.

We chose Writing That Works: Communicating Effectively on the Job as the text from reading good reviews. The book enabled the inmates to be able to read and work at their own pace during class. The examples really helped them get started without overwhelming them.

We purchased a printer so that we can write and give written feedback to everyone.  We also purchased software called Winway Deluxe Resume. The software has various templates and tips on how to make a successful resume. We used the software a little bit just to see if it would give them extra help. It seemed a little bit complicated to use and ineffective. In the future, we will not use this software.  The more volunteers we have the better so that everyone gets a more interactive education, instead of relying on technology.

After all of our main buys, we had a little over $300 dollars left for various materials such as pens, pencils, computer paper, notebook paper, and highlighters. As of now we have enough supplies, but donations are always appreciated!