Members of Wateree River CI Rotoract Club Make Special Presentation
Four inmates, who are part of the Shock program at Wateree River Correctional Institute, spoke to a meeting of the Rotary Club of Lake Murray-Irmo on Wednesday morning, March 4, 2015, at the Carolina Ale House in Irmo. The inmates are part of the Wateree River CI Rotoract Club which is co-sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lake Murray-Irmo. Ginny Barr, Director of SCDC’s Young Offender Parole and Reentry Services, is a member of the club and serves as a liaison between the Rotoract Club of WRCI and Lake Murray-Irmo Rotarians.
The Rotoract program is a club-sponsored organization of young adults, ages 18-30, whose purpose it is to provide opportunity for young people to enhance the knowledge and skills that will assist them in personal development and address the physical and social needs of their community. While Rotoract is a longstanding program, the Wateree River CI Shock program’s branch, formed in 2014, is thought to be the first of its kind in the world. Twelve of WRCI’s 24 Shock participants are members of the Rotoract Club.
During their first year, the Rotoract Club assisted in numerous community clean-up projects like cleaning the grounds of St. Stephen Church, working at the Camden horse races, participating in the Palmetto Pride program by helping clean-up area highways, and donating some of their own money to support the Salvation Army food drive in the Sumter area. The Rotoract Club also won a Keep the Midlands Beautiful Grant for their clean-up efforts.
The Shock program at Wateree River CI is a 90-day program designed as an alternative to traditional incarceration providing a therapeutic environment where young, non-violent offenders (17-29 yrs.) receive substance abuse treatment, educational opportunities, and other help to promote their reintegration into the community.
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