Helping children of incarcerated parents Shawntelle Fisher

Shawntelle Fisher walked out of prison for the last time on her birthday...November 3, 2011. She had been in and out of prison with multiple felonies mostly pertaining to forgery or bad checks. Fisher had become a mother at 15, a convicted felon at 17...by the time she was 19 she was in prison. Her birthday release was going to be different. This time was the last visit to prison, and she set out on a mission to change her life and other peoples lives by founding Soulfisher Ministries, a nonprofit that helps educate children whose parents are, or have been, incarcerated.   Fisher is one smart woman. She sought out her education along the way after prison...she holds degrees with full ride scholarships from University of Missouri-St.Louis, graduate degrees from Washington University and Eden Theological Seminary. She became a licensed clinical social worker and drug and alcohol abuse counselor. She now helps hundreds of kids with education and life through her organization. With all of these accomplishments, she was recently denied and then appealed and then denied again by a judge to be a foster parent. Why? Because of her felony record. Shawntelle says she will become a foster mom, and we have a deep discussion about what are the best solutions for people who return home from prison trying to make their way back in society. The recent setback is a gut punch to Shawntelle, but it is inspiring how she handles a challenge. Everyone can learn something from how Shawntelle handles life. I am a fan!