On Wednesday, Aug. 7, the largest class of Incarceration Doesn’t Define Us (I.D.D.U.) participants walked the stage to receive their certificates of completion during a graduation ceremony in the multipurpose room at 1 Community Way.
A total of 12 participants in the ninth I.D.D.U. class received their certificates following their commitment to attend weekly training and information sessions about job readiness, housing, education opportunities, budgeting and more.
The program now has 78 graduates from nine cohorts.
I.D.D.U. provides resources and assistance to residents who have recently been released from jail or have experienced hardship ease back into the community over an eight-week period.
Since the program’s inception in 2021, Community Relations Liaison Ashtyn Foddrell remains committed to being a reference and resource for all the I.D.D.U. graduates.
The successes of the I.D.D.U. program have been overwhelming, as Foddrell pointed out, because there have been graduates who have returned to school to receive their GED, earn a college degree, and received a commercial driver’s license. Another graduate has also had their CNA license restored to return to nursing full time.
Foddrell was invited to present the I.D.D.U. program at the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in 2022. In addition, other law enforcement agencies have reached out to her to learn how they can implement a similar I.D.D.U. program in their jurisdiction.
Watch for a video of the ceremony coming soon.
More photos available here.