Secret to our success? You!
Contact Us:
1-877-525-CURE (2873)
P.O Box 1245
Cape Girardeau, MO 63702
Missouri Cure Board
Allen X McCarter was paroled in 2003 after nearly 18 years in Missouri prisons, Allen was released from parole August 20, 2010. In April 2007 he co-founded Victory Circle, a Columbia MO offender-led peer support group. He worked as assistant program director for re-entry programs at Boone County Community Partnership from July ’07 to December ’08. Allen speaks monthly as a volunteer speaker at the Creamer Therapeutic Correctional Center in Fulton. Since December Allen has worked at Soul House as a residential aide for the Rainbow House Transitional Living Programs (TLP) for homeless teens, where he was a mentor since August ’09. In January Allen was elected president of Boone County Offender Transition Network (BCOTN). He is also a full-time student studying business and sociology.
Jamala Rogers has been active in the issues of the prison industrial complex for nearly 40 years. This commitment grew out her work against police brutality and unjust incarcerations. She has led the fight for the freedom of victims of the US racist and unjust criminal system such as Ellen Reasonover as well as being active in the efforts that freed Darryl Burton. Jamala is adamantly opposed to the death penalty. She was the first African-American president of the Eastern MO Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. She currently serves as the coordinator for the Justice for Reggie Clemons Campaign, an inmate on Missouri’s death row. Jamala is a featured columnist for the St. Louis American newspaper and is on the editorial board on BlackCommentator.com
Paula Skillicorn was a reporter for the Kansas City Star when she was assigned to investigate the case of Dennis Skillicorn, a man on death row. Eventually she became his wife and a crusader for abolition of capital punishment. Paula and Dennis were a dynamic team that got things done. They were instrumental in establishing the 4H-LIFE program at Potosi Correctional Center, a parenting program that has since won national awards and has spread to other Missouri prisons. Despite her heroic efforts, Dennis was executed in May of 2009. A remarkable man and a leader in prison, Dennis had helped to found and participated in numerous programs. He was a son to Paula’s son Regi through the years of their marriage, and Regi, who has become an accomplished musician, has written a poignant song about Dennis, called “Always a Dad.” Paula is now a prize-winning reporter for the Daily Journal, based in Park Hills, which covers news from six Missouri counties.
Jon Marc Taylor has earned numerous college degrees including a PhD while incarcerated during the past 30 years. When Congress removed Pell grant eligibility for prisoners, Taylor began a crusade to get them back. He has fought tirelessly to inform the public of the importance and necessity of educating prisoners. He received the Robert F. Kennedy and The Nation/I.F. Stone Journalism Awards for his reporting on "Pell Grants for Prisoners," In 2010 Taylor led the Crossroads Correctional Center’s NAACP chapter in making history when it sponsored an in-prison seminar as part of the NAACP National Convention being held in Kansas City MO. Taylor remains active in Restorative Justice initiatives and grant writing to benefit various prison organizations. He authored the Prisoners' GUERRILLA HANDBOOK To Correspondence Programs.
Copyright © 2011 Missouri CURE. All Rights Reserved.
Hedy (Edna) Harden- Chair
Michelle Dodson- Vice Chair
Deborah Herald- Public Relations
Becky Williams - Secretary
Maria Rubin- Treasurer
Hedy (Edna) Harden started doing prison work in the mid-1970s. In 1990 she started Missouri CURE after a meeting in St. Louis with Charles Sullivan, head of National CURE, and a few family members of prisoners. In 1989 she met Donald Harden during a citizens’ investigative tour of the old Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. They were married at Potosi Correctional Center in 1992. Hedy published Turning Point, MO CURE’s quarterly newsletter beginning in 1991, with frequent articles by Donald. In 2001 Donald was released on parole. The couple separated in 2002 and are now divorced. But Hedy remains involved in CURE and plans to stay that way.
Michelle Dodson is the wife of a Lifer Offender in a Missouri Prison. She understands and is here to help support and bring families together during these hard times. She works hard daily to fight for the freedom of those who go to prison and have made positive changes in their lives. She is the chair for Jaws of Justice a radio program on KKFI 90.1 FM in Kansas City. She is also a active member of the Kansas City Justice task force and MISD (Mothers of incarcerated sons and daughters)
Deborah Herald has a fiance that is in the Missouri Prison System. They will be married in March of 2012, and they still have a long way to go with the D.O. C. Deborah has a BS in Psychology and has spent more than 10 years working with both adult and juvenile offenders before having to take disability due to severe and chronic back issues. Deborah turned to writing and editing while recovering from many surgeries and found that she had a talent for journalistic endeavors. Deborah enjoys the Public Relations aspect of the Cure because it is a way to combine the passion for the career she left behind and the career she has developed as a writer, and to do something meaningful for those who are involved in the Justice system.
Becky Williams has a husband in the Missouri Prison system. She joined Missouri CURE in 2003 and strives to keep the communication flowing for all members with the Yahoo Groups.
Maria Rubin has a father in the Missouri prison system. She has been a member of Missouri CURE almost through its inception. She now serves as Treasurer. Although she doesn’t feel that dealing with money is her calling, she gone beyond the call of duty and has gotten us through some very rough times.
Missouri CURE Advisory Board
Allen X. McCarter
Dolores Owen
Jamala Rogers
Paula Skillicorn
Jon Marc Taylor
Patricia Prewitt
Patricia Prewitt writes software and eLearning modules, is an AFAA-certified fitness instructor and trainer, is a founding grandmother of the prison 4H club, writes for the prison newsletter, and is longtime cast member of Prison Performing Arts at WERDCC. She’s 62 years old and has been incarcerated since 1986 serving Life With No Parole for 50 Years.
Dolores Owen had a son in prison. In 1996, he was suddenly sent to Brazoria Texas where the video of abuse surfaced. It was the start of a rude education for Dolores in the realities of Missouri DOC. After voicing her anger in various publications and outlets, she was invited to attend a National CURE meeting where she met Hedy Harden. She became a member of Missouri CURE and various other organizations that fight the injustices of the criminal justice system. Over the last 15 years, she has served as Chair, secretary, and has donated money and equipment to ensure the survival of Missouri CURE. She is a lifetime member and believes in the power of forgiveness and compassion. "If lawbreakers are never given the opportunity to change,” she states, “they never will. How can they ever hope to be better if they remain pigeon-holed by those in power in a pre-conceived notion of their worth? That must change if the people really want a safe society."
