American Idea Foundation

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Release: Video: The transformative impact of Gatekeepers in reducing recidivism in MD

Release: Video: The transformative impact of Gatekeepers in reducing recidivism in MD

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by: AIF Staff

Janesville, WI – This week, the American Idea Foundation released a video highlighting the amazing work being done by Gatekeepers, a non-profit in Hagerstown, MD.

Led by ex-offenders Bill Gaertner and Keith Roys, Gatekeepers is helping inmates and ex-offenders re-enter and rejoin their communities following interactions with the criminal justice system.

Watch the video about Gatekeepers’ efforts here.

As the video shows, Gatekeepers works with inmates prior to their release. Their office is often the first stop for inmates upon leaving correctional facilities and their staff continues working with many of these individuals for years after. Gatekeepers helps these people build productive lives one day at a time.

To do this effectively, Gatekeepers created a formal program called The Business of Living, which is now being used in prisons and jails across the country.

The Business of Living program assists current and former inmates chart pathways to success by creating a comprehensive re-entry plan upon their release from incarceration. It has spiritual, vocational, educational, and community-based components that are customized to the individual. If an individual needs medical or rehabilitation services, Gatekeepers helps them map out how to access them. If an individual wants to pursue employment or rebuild ties with their family members, Gatekeepers helps them navigate it. Through the Business of Living program, Gatekeepers walks with these individuals step-by-step and assists them in building productive lives.

In early October, American Idea Foundation President Paul Ryan stopped by Gatekeepers for a roundtable discussion with graduates of the Business of Living program, community partners, Congressman David Trone (D-MD), and state and local officials, all of whom believe in the power of Gatekeepers’ hands-on approach. Reporting on the visit, the Herald Mail of Hagerstown noted: 

Through his foundation, Paul Ryan scours the nation, looking for effective programs that help people escape poverty. He thinks he’s found one in Hagerstown.

Ryan met with people in the Gatekeepers program during a forum and a luncheon Monday at the Horizon Goodwill facility on North Prospect Street. He was joined by U.S. Rep. David Trone, a Democrat who is running for reelection for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District; Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill, several representatives of city and county government, local business leaders and people who have returned to the community after spending time behind bars….

Gatekeepers is something of a clearing house for people who have spent time behind bars. It focuses on re-entry and reducing rates of reoffending and recidivism.

Among other things, Gatekeepers has developed what Gaertner has dubbed the “Business of Living” program. It’s a process designed to help formerly incarcerated people get on their feet and pursue their goals.  That program is taught inside Roxbury Correctional Institution and the Maryland Correctional Training Center south of Hagerstown as well as the Washington County Detention Center and the county Day Reporting Center.

Gatekeepers is currently working with Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities to conduct a long-term study measuring the effectiveness of their approach in reducing recidivism. They are among a half-dozen front-line organizations to receive a grant from the American Idea Foundation in 2022 and the American Idea Foundation will continue to provide advice, guidance, and support as Gatekeepers develops their evidence-based approach to reducing recidivism.

To learn more about the organization, please visit: https://www.gatekeepersmd.org/.

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Herald-Mail: The Business of Living: Former House Speaker Ryan supports program in Washington County

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Date: October 13, 2022

This article from the Hagerstown Herald-Mail highlights a recent site-visit former House Speaker Paul Ryan did to Gatekeepers, a recidivism reduction program based in Maryland. Gatekeepers is working to help people reacclimate to their community and transform their lives following interactions with the criminal justice system.

The visit was part of the American Idea Foundation’s ongoing efforts to validate and scale evidence-based poverty fighting programs. Gatekeepers has recently partnered with the University of Notre Dame to quantifiably evaluate the program’s impact. They’re doing amazing work with the help of the Hagerstown community and Paul was grateful to learn more about the Business of Living program.

A local newscast on the visit is also available here. Excerpts of the full article, which is accessible here, follow.

The Herald-Mail: The Business of Living: Former House Speaker Ryan supports program in Washington County

By: Mike Lewis

Through his foundation, Paul Ryan scours the nation, looking for effective programs that help people escape poverty.

He thinks he’s found one in Hagerstown.

“I am here for just a basic reason, to bring praise to what Bill (Gaertner, executive director of Gatekeepers) and all the folks at Gatekeepers have done and to bring some money to make sure that Gatekeepers stays successful,” Ryan said during his visit to Hagerstown this week.

“I’m just here to see how Gatekeepers works and why it’s so successful at getting people to stay out of prison once they’ve returned to the community,” Ryan said before the luncheon.

Ryan met with people in the Gatekeepers program during a forum and a luncheon Monday at the Horizon Goodwill facility on North Prospect Street. He was joined by U.S. Rep. David Trone, a Democrat who is running for reelection for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District; Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill, several representatives of city and county government, local business leaders and people who have returned to the community after spending time behind bars.

After retiring from politics, Ryan started the American Idea Foundation. Its goal is to invest in evidence-based programs that fight poverty and promote upward mobility, then replicate them around the nation. 

What is the ‘Business of Living’ program?

Gatekeepers is something of a clearing house for people who have spent time behind bars. It focuses on re-entry and reducing rates of reoffending and recidivism.

Among other things, Gatekeepers has developed what Gaertner has dubbed the “Business of Living” program. It’s a process designed to help formerly incarcerated people get on their feet and pursue their goals.

That program is taught inside Roxbury Correctional Institution and the Maryland Correctional Training Center south of Hagerstown as well as the Washington County Detention Center and the county Day Reporting Center. 

Since mid-March, a digital version of the Gatekeepers Business of Living program, with videos, has been put onto tablets that are inside more than 250 correctional facilities around the nation. At the end of September, more than 1,200 inmates have completed the tablet version of the program, according to statistics from Gatekeepers.

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Now the organization is working with the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame to develop evidence-based data for Gatekeepers. A multi-year study will examine the Business of Living program’s impact on the local recidivism rate.

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Gatekeepers was one of five nonprofits in the country to receive financial and strategic support from the American Idea Foundation this year, according a news release the organization issued in September.

The release did not disclose the amounts of the grants.

The others are Corner to Corner in Nashville, Tenn; Child First in Connecticut and North Carolina; Merit America, a national nonprofit; and The Joseph Project in Milwaukee.

“With polarization, partisanship, and cynicism on the rise in America, we have an obligation to strengthen civil society and support organizations that are making a tangible difference in people’s lives,” Ryan said in the release.

He said the grants “will help create bodies of evidence and grow bodies of evidence. They will promote innovative strategies and solutions with track records of success. And hopefully, they will take some of the politics out of fighting poverty.”

Ryan visits Gatekeepers in Hagerstown, Maryland to learn about recidivism reduction efforts

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October 12, 2022

Hagerstown, Maryland – Earlier this week, American Idea Foundation President and former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan visited Gatekeepers, a non-profit organization in Hagerstown, Maryland focused on motivating, empowering, and encouraging ex-offenders to successfully reintegrate into their communities and build fulfilling lives following their interactions with the criminal justice system.

In a roundtable with individuals who have completed Gatekeepers’ Business of Living program and with community supporters of the organization, Ryan extolled the positive impact that Gatekeepers is having on ex-offenders seeking to turn their lives around. Ryan was joined by Congressman David Trone (D-MD), representatives from the office of Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), a host of local elected leaders, and Maryland employers, all of whom understand how Gatekeepers’ evidence-based approach to reducing recidivism is making a tangible difference in the lives of others.

To watch a brief recap of the visit from DC News Now, click here.

After spending the day with the staff of Gatekeepers and program participants, Ryan said:

“There are 3 prisons and 1 jail around Hagerstown, Maryland so Gatekeepers is filling a real need in this community by helping people turn their lives around. They are helping people better themselves and helping to reduce recidivism. Their work matters. 

“With Bill Gaertner’s leadership, Gatekeepers’ Business of Living program is showing individuals how to reintegrate back into society by focusing on spirituality, education, personal growth, and employment. Gatekeepers walks with these people every step of the way and the early evidence shows that their approach is working.

“It was amazing to hear the stories of transformation and of redemption. We’re excited to be working with Gatekeepers and Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities to help validate and prove the Business of Living concept. Our goal has always been to identify programs with a track record of success, use data and evidence to support and validate their efforts, and then hopefully scale these successful interventions.

“Today’s event showed that Gatekeepers has the support of the community. We heard from employers, from faith leaders, and from local and federal officials who believe in Gatekeepers’ mission. Gatekeepers is doing the hard but necessary work to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. They are keeping people on the right path and I am so grateful that the American Idea Foundation has been able to partner with them in this journey.”

Gatekeepers was one of a handful of organizations to receive a grant from the American Idea Foundation in 2022 and as part of their partnership with the American Idea Foundation, Ryan will continue to work with Gatekeepers to scale their program and deepen their impact through the use of evidence and data.

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