Essex County Sheriff's Department: Saying Thank You To Our Religious Services Volunteers

Press release from the Essex County Sheriff's Department:

February 15, 2022 - 2:32pm

Religious and spiritual counseling plays a crucial role in corrections. We are incredibly lucky to have a team of dedicated volunteers who come into our facilities to pray and counsel our incarcerated population. Sheriff Kevin Coppinger recently spent some time with our team of volunteers to say thank you and to honor two who have recently retired.

Jane Wells has been volunteering at our Women in Transition facility since it opened 23 years ago. She has been a motivating member of the Sunday Bible Study Group that is affectionately known to all at the WIT as the “Church Ladies.” Not only has she been a source of encouragement for the women in the program, Jane has also helped many officers who work there and they appreciate the concern and care she has shown to them over the years. 

Bob Harris has been at our Middleton facility for 23 years, providing Gideons Fellowship Service as a community religious volunteer. Even during tough times like COVID or with the recent loss of his wife, Bob has been at our facilities to serve our population unfailingly. He’s part of a team that includes other long-time volunteers, including Jack DelParo (18 years of service and lead volunteer for the Gideons Group) and Lionel Baldwin (25 years of volunteer religious service). 

Our Interfaith Coordinator and Chaplain Katie Willis said Bob, Jack, and Lionel “always show up open and ready to support, believing miracles will intercede in the lives of these men as they bear witness to the miracles in their own long lives, and moreover, they make sure these men in the care of ECSD feel and believe miracles will happen for them too.

This press release was produced by the Essex County Sheriff's Department. The views expressed here are the author’s own.