Ohio Attorney General Yost speaks at IGNITE ceremony for local inmates

FREMONT - The IGNITE Program, which has empowered county inmates to find success post-incarceration, held its first public graduation at the Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 23.

Six IGNITE participants were honored for completing courses through the merit-based curriculum program which helps prepare them for life and employment. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost was the guest speaker at the ceremony, which was hosted by Sandusky County Sheriff Christopher Hilton.

The graduates were told over and over by both Yost and Hilton that their mistakes do not define them. The time they spent in jail is just that — a small period of time within a long life that can be marked by purpose and dignity.

Yost: 'Success or failure is measured at the end'

“Success or failure is only measured at the end,” Yost told the graduates. “Think of a football game. American society wants to say who is winning or losing every moment of the game, but failure and success are measured at the end, as a culmination of a life.”

Yost told the graduates to expect moments of setback because everyone makes mistakes, but he said he is confident they will find lifelong success.

“I expect you to succeed. When you look back at your whole life, I believe you’ll be proud of what you did,” Yost said. “The work you did here set you apart for that second chance.”

The IGNITE program is assisted by community partners who teach courses on life and employment readiness.

“Since our program kicked off in March, in conjunction with our community partners, we have been able to offer a total of 135.5 program hours in addiction and recovery services, financial literacy and home-buying basics, career readiness, parenting education, and additional mental health services,” said IGNITE Program Coordinator Caren Nemitz. “I can speak firsthand of the difference the IGNITE Program is making in the lives of our incarcerated individuals.”

Job hunting skills offered in one course

Among the community partners is Green Bay Packaging in Fremont. The company’s human resource manager, Susan Springer, leads a career readiness course through IGNITE. She teaches participants practical skills such as where to look for a job and how to be successful in an interview, but she also empowers them by explaining that there are job opportunities beyond incarceration. Although background checks may disqualify some people for particular positions, there are still many opportunities for people “with blemishes in their background,” she said.

Because of Springer’s advice and encouragement, two former IGNITE graduates successfully applied for jobs at Green Bay Packaging.

“They asked if they could apply for jobs. I told them they could interview, but how they performed at interviews was up to them,” Springer said. “It gave them a second chance.”

Hilton wants program to grow

Although IGNITE is already changing lives, Hilton wants to see the program grow.

“We’re scratching the surface of what this program will be,” he said. “This program is going to get bigger and better.”

Former IGNITE coordinator Carlee Fairbanks said staff will soon implement an online educational platform that will offer 25,000 education hours of instruction on topics such as stress management and mental health.

“We’re still aiming to get a virtual reality program that will teach skilled trades like carpentry and electrical,” Fairbanks said.

All of the work the sheriff’s office has put into IGNITE has been for one reason: to provide the inmates with the dignity and tools to thrive.

“My goal is that you will walk out of this facility and never come back,” Hilton told the graduates. “I want you all to succeed.”

The compassion expressed by Hilton and his staff, which is foundational to the program’s success, was highlighted in the words of IGNITE graduate Thressa Allen, who addressed the crowd at the ceremony.

“What IGNITE means to me is that we’re seen for more than what we’re here for,” she said. “They don’t look at us as flawed. They look at us as humans.”

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at  sheritrusty4@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Ohio Attorney General talks about success in life at IGNITE ceremony