HOPE FOR WOMEN IN PRISON
Safe Space For All Faiths
The state of North Carolina provides absolutely no funding for a chaplain position (and related services) at the WCCW facility. Our community’s support provides the funding necessary to ensure the employment of our two chaplains, Susan Verbrugge (full-time)* and Chaplain Shannon Spencer (part-time), as well as continuing the over 60 programs the chaplains facilitate each month (along with the Ministry of Hope board and volunteers) – inside and outside “the gates.”
The Ministry of Hope is a community-funded chaplaincy program which raises funds to employ on-site chaplains at Western (formerly Swannanoa) Correctional Center for Women (WCCW) in Swannanoa, NC. Our chaplains conduct religious services in the center’s chapel and provide pastoral care and spiritual guidance to the inmates. Their guidance and leadership are crucial to helping these women, many of whom struggle with addiction, abuse, and grief issues. The women at WCCW are within five years of release or parole. Our chaplains offer them a sense of hope and real-world self-care tools to manage parenting, relationships, and employment with discernment and spiritual maturity.
*Carol Dalton retired in May 2024 after serving as the full-time chaplain for 17 years. She is still involved with our organization as a volunteer and mentor.
Read about our staff and current board HERE
OUR VISION
“Having benefited from Ministry of Hope’s gifts of authentic connection, genuine belonging and deep healing, participants are empowered to create a better life for themselves and contribute positively to their communities.”
As the sole source of funding for the interfaith chaplaincy program at Western Correctional Center for Women, Ministry of Hope nurtures a safe space for residents to foster personal transformation, inspire future growth, and uncover the potential for new beginnings.