Neighbors And Community Leaders

What our neighbors and community leaders say about our impact in their communities:

Molly Leonard, Community Leader

We did not accept Dismas House with open arms. We accepted it with skepticism. But they have the support and the trust of the Portland community because they have done what they said they would do.
–Portland Neighborhood, Louisville, KY (Molly Leonard remained a strong supporter of Dismas Charities until her death in 2008.)

Deborah D. Delgado, Councilwoman

Dismas Charities shines as one of the bright lights in our community, quietly providing a residence, job training and life skills to people who otherwise would face overwhelming challenges in their attempts to regain a place in society. You give confidence and dignity and most of all hope, to people who have paid for their mistakes and want a second chance. I thank you, and I know the citizens of Hattiesburg thank you for all that you do to better life here in the Pinebelt.
–City of Hattiesburg, MS

Stephen L. Enders, Director

I feel that Dismas Charities…operates according to the highest ethical and program standards. The program has a strong role in the local community, serving as a role model of how a corrections facility should be run. The local operation also complements the excellent reputation which Dismas Charities holds nationwide, under highly qualified and professional leadership.
–West Texas Community Supervision & Corrections Dept.

Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senator

The excellent quality of your work in operating a re-entry center under contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons has increased economic development…increased public safety (and) the crime rate decreased significantly. It is a credit to have such an organization as professional as this operating in Las Cruces (NM).
–United States Senator

Marianne Butler, Councilwoman

…there was this huge flood…and half of my district was underwater…they (Dismas residents) were not compensated, they volunteered and it was hard work…We could not have got all that stuff cleaned up without Dismas.
–Councilwoman, 15th District, Louisville, Kentucky

Employers of Residents Neighbors and Community Leaders