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Nominee: Vermonter of the Year Rita Whalen McCaffrey is among the nominees for 2009
MARK GOULD, Free Press Rita Whalen McCaffrey, founder and executive director of Dismas of Vermont Inc., poses at her home in Weston beneath a photo of Jack Hickey, founder of Dismas House.
The Burlington Free Press
editorial board asked readers to nominate a Vermont
resident who deserves to be recognized as the 2009
Vermonter of the Year. The task was to find someone who
made a difference, this year or through a lifetime of
work; someone who stepped up in a time of need or proved
to be a leader; someone whose acts or accomplishments
embodied the best of Vermont.
Today, Sister Elizabeth Candon makes a case for Dismas of Vermont founder Rita Whalen McCaffrey: I am
writing this letter to add my voice to that of the host
of others who are submitting the nomination of Rita
Whalen McCaffrey as the 2009 Vermonter of the Year. I
first met Rita when she enrolled as a student at Trinity
College of Vermont in 1957. Since that time I have
followed her tireless efforts to help some of the most
unempowered in our society gain the ability to find
their inner strength and to become independent,
effective members of their communities. Rita
has been an effective supporter of the principles of
restorative justice as opposed to negative punitive
incarcerations. She is the quintessence of the untiring
advocate who spares no personal effort in helping others
enjoy the dignity that each deserves. |
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December 30, 2009 Rita Whalen McCaffrey I wish to nominate Rita Whalen McCaffrey of Weston as Vermonter of the Year. I have known Rita for more than 40 years, and I have witnessed and been influenced by her lifetime of work on behalf of prisoners and former prisoners in Vermont, populations not always popular or sympathetic in the public eye. It is a remarkable story of dedication and inspirational leadership which has benefited thousands of offenders and inspired hundreds of average Vermonters to volunteer in the two programs she founded: Threshold/Decision Program in Rutland in 1974 and Dismas House in 1986. Dismas House now sponsors halfway houses in Burlington, Rutland and Winooski. The work of Dismas House is to reconcile offenders with society and their communities through the creation of supportive and healing family-like communities. The model is simple and human: 1. volunteers committing on a regular basis to prepare and share a meal with the residents at Dismas House; and 2. non-offenders (often college students) sharing life and responsibilities with ex-offenders while living together at Dismas House. Rita learned long ago that offering help in the form of services such as housing, counseling and jobs is not enough for success. The indispensable ingredient is hope. Without hope, help alone is often insufficient. And hope and indefatigable persistence is what Rita has offered for the last 35 years. She never gives up. But her life has not been one-dimensional. Wife to Frank for nearly 50 years, mother of four and grandmother to eight, Rita was recognized in 1987 as the Vermont Mother of the Year and later that same year as the National Mother of the Year in recognition of her special gifts as mother and prisoner-advocate. A long time peace activist, she also served in the Vermont State Senate representing Rutland County in the late 1980s. After 35 years of challenging and transformative work, Rita Whalen McCaffrey will retire in 2010 as executive director of Dismas House of Vermont, having created and built a program that has changed the lives of thousands of ex-offenders and volunteers. She leaves a legacy of hope and courage for those who follow. Rita has not only led; she has inspired. I believe Rita Whalen McCaffrey merits recognition as the 2009 Vermonter of the Year . JAMES LEDDY South Burlington |
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