News

Volunteer opportunity with CCQ

Coffee Creek Quilters teaches quilting to women in prison and currently there is a need for another instructor to help teach the Wednesday evening class. Prior teaching experience isn’t required, but we need someone with at least advanced-beginner quilting skills and a willingness to work with a wide variety of student learning styles. Patience, good listening skills, and compassion are essential. There are four other instructors and 20 students in the class. Classes are held every Wednesday from 7 pm to 9 pm in the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility dining room. CCCF is located at 24499 SW Grahams Ferry Rd, Wilsonville, OR. Please contact us at 503-257-1320 or [email protected] for additional information.

Nancy’s Notions features CCQ for “Creative Kindness”

Coffee Creek Quilters is honored to be featured on the website of Wisconsin-based quilting supply store Nancy’s Notions as an outlet for “Creative Kindness.” Creative Kindness is a book and DVD series that is part of Nancy Zieman’s long-running TV show, Sewing with Nancy (29 years and counting!). The book helps connect quilters and other fiber-artists with worthwhile projects for their creative energies around the world.

Number of Women Inmates in Oregon up 86 percent over 10 years

Over the past ten years, the number of women inmates in prison in Oregon has jumped 86 percent, due to new laws mandating prison for non-violent crimes. (For men, the increase has been just 28 percent.) Hannah Hoffman’s excellent article in Willamette Week offers a detailed look at why women are the fastest-growing group of inmates in Oregon, and the effects of this criminal justice trend.

The article points out that female inmates cost the state more than male inmates, requiring more staff, medicine, programs, counselors and caseworkers. Hoffman writes, “According to [Department of Corrections] statistics, about a third of female prisoners have not completed high school. More strikingly, the vast majority are diagnosed at their medical evaluation as having mental-health issues. Sixty-four percent of the inmates at Coffee Creek have “serious and persistent mental health diagnoses,” such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and chronic depression, according to the DOC. And 89 percent of the inmate population entered prison addicted to drugs or alcohol.” And since about 75 percent of the women are mothers, the State must also pay for foster care for many of their children.