Helping ex-offenders achieve successful reentry into society

Come and participate!  Riverside House will be hosting a time of prayer in preparation for the upcoming Weekend of Champions evangelistic outreach event to several Dade/Broward prisons and jails August 27-29, 2009.  We will be meeting the second and fourth Wednesday of every month at Riverside House located at 968 N.W. 2 Street, Miami, Fl 33128.  If you would like to be a part of affecting change in the lives of thousands of inmates, and praying for a powerful outreach to occur through Weekend of Champions, then this is for you!!!  For more information, please contact Yvette Forbes, Chaplain, at 305-326-9799 ext 104 / yforbes@riverside-house.org.

Riverside House, a non-profit, faith-based, residential reentry center, assists Federal offenders in achieving successful reentry into society after incarceration.  Established in 1972, it became the first in the nation to experiment with the rehabilitation of ex-offenders.  Today, Riverside House is a co-ed 80 bed residential reentry center that provides a  holistic approach towards the offender which is accomplished by its vision and mission statement: “Riverside Christian Ministries, Inc. exist to guide people convicted of crime into becoming productive citizens.  This will be accomplished by Community Based Reentry, Community Outreach, Pastoral Care, and Aftercare/Outpatient Services.”

Cleveland Bell III, Executive Director

Cleveland Bell III became Executive Director of Riverside House in 1977.  As a former ex-offender, Mr. Bell was no stranger to the feelings of frustration, anger, and rebellion often felt by those with similar backgrounds.  Over the past 37 plus years through the continuous outpouring of Mr. Bell’s personal life experiences with fellow men and women, and the dedicated, hard work of staff and Board members, the ministry of Riverside House has reached thousands of ex-offenders through jail groups, out-client participation, prison outreach, and inner city activities.  

Bill Glass Teammate Volunteers

Started in 1969 as the Bill Glass Evangelistic Association by founder Bill Glass, the Ministry of Champions for Life evolved from a small City-Wide crusade ministry to the world’s largest evangelistic prison ministry that now includes one of the most effective youth outreach ministries in the country.  Over the last 35 plus years, Bill Glass and Champions for Life have shared the Gospel of Jesus in thousands of towns, cities, churches, prisons, jails and youth facilities across the United States and several foreign countries.  Their mission statement is to: “Assist the church by equipping and igniting Christians to share their faith in Jesus Christ with the ‘least of these’”.  Prior to founding Champions for Life, Bill Glass made a name for himself as one of the most outstanding football players in the National Football League.  He was a consensus All American at Baylor University .  Working with his life-long friend, Dr. Bill Bright, he helped establish the Campus Crusade for Christ chapter on the Baylor Campus.   He was a member of the 1964 Cleveland Browns team who beat the Baltimore Colts to win the NFL World Championship one year prior to the first Super Bowl. Four - time All Pro and College and Texas Sports Hall of Fame were some of Bill’s athletic credentials. He finally retired in 1969 after 22 yrs in amateur and professional football without missing a work out or game.

Riverside House will host its Sixth Annual Second Chances Fundraiser at the First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables, 536 Coral Way.  The fee to attend the breakfast event is $20, which will directly benefit Riverside House’s Pastoral Care Program.

This year’s guest speaker is Jack Murphy.  Once infamous for committing what has been called the “Jewel Robbery of the Century,” Murphy stole more than $2 million in gems from the J.P. Morgan collection in 1964. While serving 21 years in prison for the jewel heist and other serious crimes, Murphy met Bill Glass, founder of Champions for Life.  This encounter changed his life and upon his release from prison, Murphy began speaking in prisons to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus.  He is an accomplished painter,musician and author of the book, Jewels for the Journey.  He is the International Director for Champions for Life Ministries. We are thrilled to welcome him to this year’s fundraiser breakfast.

The goal of our fundraising event is to raise community awareness and to continue to fulfill Riverside House’s vision and mission of guiding people who have served their debt to society into becoming productive citizens.  One such way we carry out this vision and mission is through our Pastoral Care Program. We offer individuals who are imprisoned in mind or spirit a place of refuge while providing life sustaining spiritual and social guidance.  To accomplish this, we give them a non-denominational introduction to a God who will forgive them of their wrongs, love them unconditionally and transform their lives.  The success of this annual fundraising event is a critical component to our Pastoral Care Program as the monies raised directly fund on-going spiritual discipleship, additional spiritual conferences, and the development of a men-to-men mentoring program.  Your contributions will aid this mentoring program to be the vehicle that will grow the Aftercare/ Outpatient Services component of Riverside House’s vision and mission statement.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Carmen Bell, fundraiser coordinator, at cjbell@riverside-house.org or 305-326-9799 ext. 113.