The efforts of 3Rs and Books to Prisoners, as well as Project Read and the Education Justice Project were featured in a recent article in Parkland College's newspaper, The Prospectus. It discusses the differences these groups make in the community and how Parkland students can become involved.

​Read the full article here: http://www.prospectusnews.com/2015/10/02/local-groups-work-to-educate-prisoners/ 

The following letter was recently received from a prisoner:

Dear 3Rs: 

I want to thank you for donating books to the library. It is good to see there is still some good hearted people in this cold world. Please continue to send them. The description of my education is low, but through your books and the help of the educators I know only a wonderful effect can come from it.  So please continue to help the inmates at _________(correctional center). It's the small things that make a big difference in people's life. As an example, I was having a bad day and then I walked into the library and she handed me a book that was donated by your association. And then I said to myself, "it is people in this world that do care about other people's situation. So please continue to save and change lives."

Sincerely, (name withheld)
P.S.  Knowledge is [the] source of success. Everybody deserves a chance to learn and discover new ways. Thank you for contributing to that chance."


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The Carbondale 3R's Project was very active in August, and is pleased to announce the Centralia Correctional Center began participating in the 3Rs program. Community volunteers from the Peace Coalition of SI, the Social Action Committee of the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship, the Southern Illinois Quakers, and Friends of the Carbondale Public Library helped to choose, pack, and load books leftover from library book sales for donation to local prison libraries. On August 3, 2015, Harrisburg Youth Center received 10 boxes of books and 1 box of magazines from the Carbondale Public Library and the 3R's Book Room at First Christian Church of Carbondale. On August 6th, Big Muddy River Correctional Center received 20 boxes of books and 3 boxes of magazines, and on August 8, Centralia Correctional Center obtained 5 boxes of books.

Volunteers are always welcome to help on the day correctional center staff visit the local libraries. If you wish to donate books to the 3R's project, please donate the books to the Carbondale or Murphysboro Public Libraries. Correctional center staff are able to choose desired books after the libraries' book sales from the remaining stock. Books and magazines are also chosen from the 3R's book room at First Christian Church. Donations of very sturdy bookcases for the book room and very recent magazines would be appreciated. Contact MJ atdrmjsmerken@hotmail.com for more information.