ferred. The outcome is the
same - ROFW Members
feeling ownership and sup-
ported by Volunteer Spon-
sors and the KDOC.
Patricia Leitner, a
longtime member of the
Women's ROFW groups
at the Topeka Correction-
al Facility, has shared a
Positive concept that I
would like to share with all
of you. She says that we
can be Thermometers or
Thermostats. A Ther-
mometer records the tem-
perature, a Thermostat
determines the tempera-
ture. She believes that
(cont. on page 2)
Dear Friends and
Colleagues:
Jason and Russ and I had a
most extraordinary visit to
North Carolina last month.
We went to the Brown Creek
Correctional Facility to cele-
brate the first anniversary of
our initial group there. The
celebration was complete with
songs, poems, and testimoni-
als. There are now two groups
at that Facility and a third
group is in the process of be-
ing organized at the Craven
prison. The North Carolina
Department of Public Safety
intends to expand ROFW to
all of the 58 prisons that exist
across the state. This is a
different model than oc-
curred in Kansas where
the groups spread across
the state organically - driv-
en by members of ROFW
who initiated the program
when they were trans-
A Message From SuEllen
Falcon Lake Golf Tournament Looking out over the dis-
tance, head held high, he
spotted the flapping yellow
and black flag surrounded
by the green manicured
hills of the Falcon Lake
Golf Club. Amidst the
quiet, he then turned his
attention to the ground
beneath him, staring in-
tensely at a little white ball
held just above the
ground, situated on a
“tee.” #1 driver gripped
solidly in hands set just
right on the grip, he took
his aim, swung back as if
he were Tiger Woods, and
let loose a gusto of motion
only to send the ball…
nowhere. He missed. He
groaned. Yet Jason Miles,
ROFW’s current Presi-
dent, (cont. on page 2)
Inside & Out
Special points of interest:
North Carolina cele-
brates Founder’s Day
Falcon Lake Golf Tour-nament a swinging suc-
cess
Annual Picnic to be held at Wyandotte County
Park at Shelter C
KC Metro Alumni Group
meetings growing
Inside this issue:
Message from SuEllen 1
Falcon Lake Golf Tour-
nament 1 ROFW News & Up-
dates 2 News & Views from
ROFW groups 3 Poetry Corner &
Quotes 4
Resume=ROFW 7
President’s Report 10
Empowerment for Positive Self-Change
Inside & Out September 2014
ROFW is holding its Annu-
al Picnic at the Shelter
C. in Wyandotte County
Park on October 12th at
2-4pm. We encourage all
who can attend to show up
for good food, scenic beau-
ty, and ROFW fellowship.
Look forward to seeing all
there!
Shelter C is across the
street from the Historical
Museum. It has 6 tables, 2
outside grills and one inside
fireplace grill. Concrete
benches are around the
outer edge of the shelter
and the restroom is a short
distance away from the
shelter. All shelters at
Bonner Park have elec-
tricity, running water,
restrooms and play-
ground equipment.
Wyandotte County
Park is
located at
State Ave.
and 126th
St. (Bonner
Springs).
despite the Sunday after-
noon heat, at the beautiful
18-hole golf course, in Base-
hor, during the annual
ROFW golf tournament
held August 24th. Russ
Thompson, former ROFW
Board Chairman, organized
this year’s event, bringing
alums and volunteers to-
gether into three teams of
four; each team then seek-
ing to come away with the
(Golf Tournament cont.
from page 1) yells FORE!,”—
a warning to other golfers
to watch for flying golf
balls—anyway. “I always
wanted to say that,” he said,
shrugging his shoulders as
he took aim once again, this
time to send the ball on its
way to the putting green.
Jason, along with
ten other ROFW members
tested their golfing skills,
lowest score of all, or, in
golf speak: “under par.”
With many amateurs afield,
some of whom had never
touched a club, it turned
out to be a swinging time of
hilarity with sand traps, lost
balls, and flying golf clubs
galore. The only par for this
course equated to a round
of fun.
Next year, if you
are interested in trying your
ROFW News and Updates
Kansas, the subject of Moti-
vation came up. The discus-
sion was very lively and
enlightening about what
motivates members to at-
tend our groups. At the end
of the meeting, I was asked
to share my thoughts and I
chose to report what moti-
vates ME to attend ROFW
meetings. I attend because
being part of ROFW has
taught me to be less judg-
mental, to be more honest
with myself, and to be more
open with the people in my
life. These are just three of
the multitude of blessings I
have received from being
part of the sacred meetings
that I cherish. THANK
YOU - to all of our
members who inspire me
profoundly.
(Message from SuEllen cont.
from page 1) every one of
us has the capacity to set
the tone, to determine our
situation. The NCDPS is
moving the needle forward,
being a Thermostat for
ROFW, and we are most
grateful.
Speaking of grati-
tude, at a recent meeting of
one of the ROFW groups in
October 12th,
2-4pm, Shelter C
at the Wyandotte
County Park in
Bonner Springs.
Come join the fun!
Page 2
Inside & Out Inside & Out
golfing skills (or in Jason’s
case, hunting for little white
golf balls amid the native
grass—“FORE!”), then be
sure to sign up for your
chance at a hole-in-twenty.
See you in 2015!
News & Views from ROFW Groups
and reaffirm our commit-
ment to our spiritual pow-
er, self, family and commu-
nity. This gives us the much
needed re-charge to contin-
ue forward and help others
through the power of kind-
ness.
Our Speakers Bu-
reau is continuing in their
hard work to support the
youth enrolled in the Even-
ing Reporting Center of
Johnson County Court Ser-
vices. We look forward to
the start of the new school
year and the engagements in
schools being scheduled.
Our Summer Summit was a
"bang." Thanks to Russ,
Sam, Clayton Nolan, Deva
Buhrle, and all our guys that
spoke. An extra special
thought and prayer goes out
to Ronnie Rhodes and his
family. Ronnie was sched-
uled to speak but suffered
the death of a brother and
was unable to be with us.
Ronnie, we love you and
wish you well. We had an
insert in our summit pro-
gram on the "Power of
Quitting." There is not
room for all of it here, so I
will include just one
By Michael M.,
Chairman
Lansing Minimum—
Greetings from "the Hill" to
all our brothers and sisters
who stand for our beliefs
and principles. We at Lan-
sing Minimum have under-
taken the rediscovery of
ourselves. Many times in
our work of giving back and
helping others, we tend to
overlook ourselves. So we
have taken to the Blue Book
for the guidance and direc-
tion on Self as we flesh out
this task. Our direction is
to redevelop, recommit,
Page 3
thought: “To get results, or be a
success, you quit something that
doesn't make a difference in or-
der to do something that does.”
We were gifted with
having Erin Weber with us re-
cently. Ms. Weber is from the
Leavenworth Federal Prison. She
shared the evening with us in
hopes of starting a ROFW group
for the federal guys. We left a
favorable impression on her.
Remember to continue
reaching out from within.
More to Life?
No matter where you
turn
There you are
Living high, breathing low
Rope the highest star
Rest your eyes
Upon your greatest fear
then dig deep into your
soul
And get your mind in
gear
Satisfy
You’ve changed you track
Motivate
You never look back
Changing the attitude
Changes the pride
Changing the purpose
Changes the ride
No one track mind
Will get you to your end
No riding the fence
Your past you must
mend
You cannot go forward
Without changing your
thought
You cannot attain peace
Without changing what
you’ve wrought
Life is about changes
Mentality like a knife
Attitude, pride, and pur-
pose
Are keys in a fruitful life.
Larry C., HCF Medium
Poetry Corner & Quotes
They are the ones with two
left feet
They can send you to the
bottom where nothing is
around
Why do I try?
Was I just thinking aloud?
Further and further from
your destiny of holding that
crown
Down here there isn’t much
A bunch of rocks and a lot
of frowns
We are all meant to be
Kings and Queens in this
world so small
With perseverance and en-
durance
There is no mountain too
tall
They say when all you are
striving for is to succeed
You must watch out for
your haters
Even if they follow you into
your dreams
They can stomp you, crush
you, making you feel defeat
Acting like it’s your problem
Page 4
Inside & Out
No you can’t, you’re not
smart enough, do this instead
There he goes again
That hater in my own head.
By Andre H.
The Hidden One
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change
his future by merely changing his attitude.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
Lansing Medium—
Recently the medium
ROFW chapter was blessed
with the privilege to ob-
serve an incredible example
of the enduring strength of
the human spirit. We were
visited by a holocaust survi-
vor and her family and the
story she shared was with-
out question heart breaking
and equally life affirming.
Sonia spent her pre-teen
years imprisoned in a Ger-
man concentration camp
during WWII where she
was subjected to countless
horrors including being
starved, repeatedly beaten,
attacked by dogs, and even
shot. Worse still, she was
forced to witness thousands
of innocent people, includ-
ing members of her own
family, led off to be mur-
dered in the gas chambers.
After the
war, she
moved to
America and
vowed to
pick up the
shattered
pieces of her
past and turn her experi-
ences into a victory. And
that’s exactly what she did.
There’s no doubt that the
world is filled with countless
misfortunes for all of us.
While some are seemingly
more blessed than others,
there is no person exempt
from pain and suffering.
Sonia’s story of persever-
ance is an illustration to us
all that
the past
doesn’t
have to
define us
if we are
willing to
take the
right steps to brighten our
futures. A great way to start
is by embracing one simple
idea—forgiveness.
It’s impossible to imagine
how many lives the concept
of forgiveness has saved. My
Twice a month, all
year round, we visit the
Cowley County Community
Corrections where we
speak with adults who are
one step away from going
to prison. We speak at the
Cowley County Community
College, as well.
During the school
year, we also go to the Chil-
dren’s Learning Center,
“CLC,” on the first Thurs-
day of each month. There
we work with teens, helping
them to learn how to deal
with everyday life issues at
home, with friends, and at
school.
By Michael S., Chairman
Winfield—School will be
starting soon and our
ROFW members will be
busy doing speaking engage-
ments each month. We
speak to thousands of
youths and adults yearly,
mainly during the school
year.
We go off-site to
speak at different schools
and we also have schools
visit the facility for a tour
and a heavy dose of person-
al stories. We speak on
addiction, peer pressure,
bullying, gangs, and choices
and consequences.
On August 8th, five
of us had the opportunity to
spend the day at D.A.R.E.
Camp, which is sponsored
by the Arkansas City Police
Department. DARE camp is
held at Camp Horizon and
had a very good turn out.
We spoke to the kids, ages
10-14, about drug and alco-
hol addiction and the devas-
tation addiction has on eve-
ryone. We also put on a
skit for the kids. They re-
ceived us very well and had
many questions.
Our sole reward is
that we can help just one
person to avoid the mis-
Forgiveness and Perseverance
It’s Speaking Engagement Time
The open hand
extended in
forgiveness, is the
dawn that ends all
dark nights.
Page 5
life and yours can be the next
ones to take advantage of its end-
less power. Forgive for the peo-
ple that have wronged you, and
whom might need your compas-
sion, to ease their burden. It
might be enough to change their
life. If nothing else, forgive so you
can start to put your own hurt
behind you. The human spirit is
capable of so many wonderful ,
amazing feats. First, we must find
the strength to cast aside the bag
of tricks that might be weighing
us down and simply move past it.
Forgiveness and perseverance. I
hope you’re all successful in find-
ing it.
takes that we have made in our
lives. We have a bunch of awe-
some men in our ROFW group
and I am proud to be a part of it.
Just recently we sent out
donations to different organiza-
tions such as: Cowley County
Salvation Army, Big Bothers and
Sisters, Cowley County Safe
Homes, Grace Methodist Food
Pantry, and Community Learning
Center. It truly feels good to give
back to the community.
Courage to change,
By M. Turner & J. Gabriel
Brown Creek, NC—Hello
ROFW Nation, we here at
Brown Creek Minimum send
our best wishes for success.
We also have an announce-
ment: we have completed our
first year as an organized
group. On August 7, we cele-
brated this accomplishment at
a banquet held at our Medium
Unit, sponsored by our great
staff.
The banquet was in
two parts. Dignitaries from the
North Carolina Department of
Public Safety were in attend-
ance, as well as beloved leaders
SuEllen, Russ, and Jason. They
all gave great speeches and
uplifted our program to the
highest heights. Also our Assis-
tant Superintendent of Pro-
grams, Kory Dalrymple and
ROFW Volunteer, Larry Sar-
ratt, did great in honor of our
program. I would also like to
give a great and humble shout-
out to ROFW-Med Chairman
Frank and ROFW-Min Chair-
man Jeffery for doing an out-
standing job in their presenta-
tions during the first part of
the banquet. Thanks to every-
one for a great job.
* * * * *
We were very grateful for
being invited and to participate
in this event. There were sev-
eral people in attendance, too
many to name. Representatives
of the group spoke on the
topic of “What ROFW Means
to Me.” After the speeches, the
medium chapter members sang
a duet. To end the program, I
performed an original mono-
logue entitled “Broken
Chains,” that brought down
the house.
But it was SuEllen
who stole the show as she
used Larry to demonstrate the
six different hugs and the im-
portance of hugging on the left
side. To say that SuEllen is a
very special person would be
an understatement; she is an
extraordinary human being
with a heart as big as Kansas.
Finally, we are encouraged by
the commitment to this pro-
gram by the NC Department
of Public Safety and our ability
By T.D. Russell
Brown Creek—On Aug 7,
the N.C. Chapters of ROFW
celebrated our first year as a
family. We have received a
Charter from N.C. to operate
as a Not-For-Profit-
Organization and we are now
well on our way to making an
impact against violence in our
society.
Founder’s Banquet—North Carolina
“We are
encouraged by the
commitment to this
program by the NC
Department of
Public Safety…”
Page 6
Inside & Out
No Limit For BBCI Medium
During our banquet
we were privileged to have doz-
ens of supporters of ROFW in
attendance. We would like to
thank everyone involved and ask
that you please come back to
visit us again.
Let us congratulate all
of the members for the wonder-
ful speeches, songs, poetry and
the awesome monologue. The
entertainment and heartfelt
to expand the organization be-
yond just Brown Creek.
* * * * *
In other news, we have just
completed the unit on Commu-
nication. Next we will study the
unit on addiction.
Last, we at BBCI-
Minimum Chapter have adopted
a farewell, we say “Keep Reach-
ing Out.” This is to remind us
that our Positivity and Enthusi-
asm is not meant to be in a
room. So to all of the ROFW
family, I close by saying Keep
words gave the whole event
what our sponsor Larry likes
to call “Pop”! It was excel-
lent!
This is just the start
for us. There is no limit to
where we can go, but also no
limit to how long it takes to
get there. Be patient, be dili-
gent and just keep reaching
out.
One of the definitions found at
dictionary.com for the word,
“skeleton” is “an emaciated
person or animal.”
We previously dis-
cussed the role of the Sum-
mary Statement on a resume as
the frame or the external
structure of the resume. Now
it’s time to put some “meat on
the bones!” A resume with a
Summary Statement and no
accomplishments is an emaciat-
ed resume and a recruiter’s
response to this resume skele-
ton is a big yawn…
The biggest mistake
most people make when writ-
ing a resume is populating it
with a list of responsibilities.
Here is what I did day in and
day out on the job generally
represents a lazy grab off a job
description. So what? Every-
body else who ever had that
job multiplied by all the compa-
nies that have that job did es-
sentially the same thing! How
does that approach differenti-
ate you from every other appli-
cant? It doesn’t. And so, your
resume ends up I the turn
down pile and you never hear
from the employer.
The “meat on the
bones” is a group of things that
you did on the job different
from others who held the same
position. I always ask my cli-
ents, “What did you do on that
job about which
you are most
proud?” And, they
ALWAYS have an
answer! That an-
swer becomes
their first accom-
plishment and
ultimately, a story
they tell during
interviews.
Just like there are
muscles, organs and tendons in
a body, there are action verbs,
achievements and benefits in a
resume.
ACTION VERBS
include words such as
“Increased, Led, Devel-
oped, Reduced, Creat-
ed,” etc. These verbs
make a greater, more
memorable impact on
the reader than words
such as, “Responsible
for, Assigned to,” etc.
Active verbs (e.g.,
Earned recognition)
also leave a stronger
impression than pas-
sive verbs (e.g., Recog-
nized for).
ACHIEVEMENTS
emphasize what you
contributed to reaching
the benefit. Be sure not
to understate your
part. The resume is a
“promotional docu-
ment” and modesty
has no place on your
resume, unless you
want a skinny skeleton:
-)
BENEFITS to em-
ployers are, for exam-
ple, increasing revenue,
improving customer
satisfaction, increasing
efficiency or reducing
costs. When appropri-
ate, quantify the bene-
fits.
So, how do these pieces come
together? Here are some sam-
ple accomplishments.
Won (ACTION VERB)
Employee of the
Month award five
times
(ACHIEVEMENT)
for outstanding cus-
tomer service and
team support
(BENEFIT).
Initiated (ACTION
VERB) cross-
training programs
within entire team
(ACHIEVEMENT),
increasing customer
satisfaction and oper-
ating efficiency
(BENEFIT).
hat if you are not a writer and
can’t think of action verbs?
Check out “The Honking Big
List of Action Verbs found at
http://www.oberlin.edu/career/
Resume = ROFW
Page 7
students/documents/
resume_action.pdf. I find the most
difficult part of this step is trying to
figure out your achievements and
benefits. What follows is a list of
questions you can ask yourself to
help uncover your personal contribu-
tions on each job.
Did you solve a major problem
for your section, depart-
ment or division?
Did you train anyone?
Did you develop or do some-
thing for the first time at
your company?
Did you exceed your goals or
objectives?
Did you reduce errors?
Accomplishments
should be presented confidently
and assertively. Prospective
employers expect you to state
your strengths and illustrate
your contributions to previous
employers. Recruiters want to
see a strong, well-muscled re-
sume, not just the typical pile of
bones.
Author Bio: Jari Holland Buck, a Kansas
City based career and organizational
consultant owns Majestic Wolf Consult-
ing. She is a published author and col-
lege instructor in Patient Advocacy. Life
experience informs and provides the
basis for her writing and coaching.
By Tarlene W.
TCF Minimum— My name is Tarlene W.,
and I'm a century mem-
ber. This group (ROFW)
has done a lot for
me. Since I've came to this
group, I have learned so
much about myself. Going
through the Blue Book has
taught me how to change
my old way of life and how I
can use what I've learned to
change my life. I was over
at the I & J compound, and
now I'm at central unit. I'm
a part of the board and I'm
proud of being a part of this
group.
Show our empathy, showing love
Cause these go together like
A hand to a glove
Wanting to make a difference
So other’s follow suit
Anything less is uncivilized
All else becomes moot
So know when we reach out
We do it from within
We’re a little different
Made of a special blend
By Ramon A.
Lansing Maximum—
Reaching out from within
This is what we do
We as a collective, making
Changes, staying true
We are searching from inside
Making the bad into good
We do this cause we want to
Like everyone should
We talk amongst ourselves
To hear the hurt within
And know we all fall short
We all have some sins
We Reach Out From Within to
ROFW In Topeka Women’s Facility
Reaching Out From Within—What We Do
work together rather than
just for self. Gradually, we
are moving forward, becom-
ing better people for our-
selves and others.
To celebrate the
upcoming ROFW Anniver-
sary here at LCMHF, we
sponsored a “Gallery Within
the Walls” event with en-
tries in 3 categories: Writ-
ing, Artwork and Misc.
Craftwork. There is a re-
ception for all inmates to
view the entries in our Ac-
tivity area. We then have a
separate meeting with the
winners, ROFW members
and staff where prizes are
awarded.
We pray that all of
you are continuing to im-
prove and that you continue
to apply what you learn in
the group and from each
other.
Larned CMHF—We
recently completed the Unit
on Spirituality and are now
on Unit 7, Respect. We
have been working on in-
corporating these aspects
into our personal lives and
finding meaning for change
in areas that we may find
fault in. Doing this, we have
been trying to improve on
our group presentations.
Our goal is to find common
ground for everyone to
“Going through the
Blue Book has
taught me how to
change my old way
of life…”
—Tarlene W.
Page 8
Inside & Out
Finding Meaning for Change in Larned
Kansas City
Alumni Group
By Jason Miles, Alumni
Chairman, Kansas City
Our group is growing by
leaps and bounds. Every
month we have new people
showing up. Fresh out of
prison or having been out
awhile and they make their
way to us. We have been
going through the “Self”
Unit out of the Blue Book.
The discussion is always
lively and takes on new
meaning as we have not
only our prison experiences
to draw on but also our
experiences as free men.
We would like to
extend a special welcome to
our female members from
Topeka. Please, once you
are released, come to our
alumni group. Eventually
we would like to have an
alumni group in Topeka,
but until such time, please
come and join us as we
support one another try-
ing to stay out and also as
we try and give back to
others what was so freely
given to us at one time in
our lives. If you are read-
ing this and you are far
away please know that we
are working on getting
Skype capability so that
you can participate via
Skype in our alumni meet-
ings. We need your in-
volvement!!!
Page 9
The KC Metro ROFW Group meets the 3rd Sunday of each month at
6:00pm in the Faith Deliverance Family Worship Center, 3043 State Ave-
nue, KCK. Contact Sam Jones at 913.449.9171 for more information.
Letter from the Editor:
Thank you all for contributing your articles and poetry to the Inside & Out bi-monthly newsletter. While every submission is welcome, please
understand that due to the space constraints of this newsletter, some articles may need to be edited and shortened to fit into the limited space
available. If your poetry did not make it into this newsletter, please re-submit the poem for entry into the next newsletter. Thank you for your
understanding and newsletter contributions.
The next newsletter submissions are November 1st.
Published for the benefit of
ROFW members by
Reaching Out From Within
PO Box 8527
Prairie Village, KS 66208
Articles, comments, or
questions may be sent to the
address above, or to:
Phone: 913.706.6677
E-mail: jasondmiles@att,net
Greetings and thank you for the hard work you are doing on yourself and the
help that you give to others around you. We were fortunate to travel to
North Carolina at the beginning of August to celebrate their one year anniver-
sary of Reaching Out From Within starting there. They called the event
“Founder’s Day.”
We participated in two meeting there. The first meeting was heavily
attended by officials with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (it’s
what we call the Department of Corrections here). It was very surreal hearing
public officials praising ROFW and telling prison officials that they really need-
ed to get ROFW into their facilities. Reaching Out From Within is poised to expand in North Carolina, and we couldn’t be more excited.
My favorite part of the trip was the second meeting with the incarcerated members of ROFW.
Before the meetings got started there were inmates getting the food set up. I had a chance to talk
with several of them and they told me what prison was like in North Carolina. I asked them what they were
doing with their time and the plans they had once released. I asked them what they had heard about ROFW
and they said they were on the waiting list to join the group. Come to find out there are about 30 guys waiting
to join! The meeting that was put on with the inmate ROFW members expressing what ROFW meant to them
was phenomenal! There were songs, poetry, a drama skit, and a lot of positive talk about the changes people
were making in their lives. I felt like I was home in a ROFW group in Kansas.
Right after we were done eating, I passed around to all the ROFW guys a piece of paper with my
own personal mission statement on it. Right under that was a favorite quote of mine which describes how I try
to live my life today. When I spoke, I challenged them to create their own personal mission statement and to
share them with us. So I issue the same challenge to you. When you are finished with it, put it somewhere you
can see it every day, share it with others, and read it often. I have enclosed mine below.
Personal Mission Statement
-Work hard.
-Play hard.
-Drink deeply from the cup of life.
-Respect and cherish true friends and caring family.
-Live each day with purpose and meaning.
-Give more than seems possible at all times.
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the
way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more
hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to
look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibili-
ties, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
― Nelson Mandela
Inside & Out
Empowerment for Positive Change—Reaching Out From Within
Organization
W E ’RE ON THE WEB :
WWW.ROFW.ORG
The last group did not finish up until 8:00 p.m., making it perhaps the longest 18 holes
of golf ever. The results were:
Team Landreth (Jason Landreth, Russ Landreth, and Tom Scott) finished at 8 over par.
Team Payne (Janet, Jason Miles, Chris Taylor, and Jay Spiegel) finished at 7 over par.
Team Posch (Paul Posch, Daniel Lanham, Gregory Winship, and Russ Thompson) finished
at 3 over par.
We all completed regardless of the heat. We all contributed. Hopefully we all had fun.
Thanks to Paul Posch for making the long trip from Wichita.
—Russ Thompson
From Board President Jason Miles