National Amachi Big Brothers Big Sisters Conference Explores Way to Help

Children of Prisoners; Celebrates 5th Year of Pioneering Program

White House representatives, criminal justice experts and religious leaders

from around the country convene; Youth tell their stories

WHAT: More than 2 million children across the nation currently have

a parent in jail or prison -- equal to the populations of

Philadelphia and Detroit combined. Without intervention these

children are headed for a similar fate. They are 70 percent

more likely than other children to end up in jail themselves.

Amachi Big Brothers Big Sisters, which began 5 years ago, is

part of that intervention. The pioneering program connects

children of prisoners with volunteers recruited through local

religious congregations who serve as the child's mentor.

The innovative program, which started with one child in

Philadelphia five years ago, now serves more than 20,000

nationwide. The program will celebrate its growth - and

explore ways to expand with a national conference in

Philadelphia, April 27-28. The kick-off of the conference -

bringing together hundreds of program participants, community

activists and civic leaders - will provide a ceremonious

opening to a conference dedicated to making sure some of the

nation's most vulnerable benefit from the impact of mentoring

and friendship. Following the opening festivities, a Youth

Forum will highlight the true success of the program, as the

mentors and mentees share their emotional personal stories.

WHEN: Thursday, April 27, 2006,

Conference Opening Event: 1:15 - 3:45 p.m.

Youth Forum: 3:15 - 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Arch Street United Methodist Church, 55 North Broad Street,

Philadelphia, PA

WHO: James Towey, Assistant to the President and Director of the

President's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives;

the Rev. Dr. W. Wilson Goode, Sr., former Philadelphia Mayor,

who organized and managed the first Amachi program for 3 years

in Philadelphia; Judy Vredenburgh, Amachi co-founder and

President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America who

has led the program to 120 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies

across the country; John J. DiIulio Jr., the Frederic Fox

Leadership Professor of Politics, Religion and Civil Society

at the University of Pennsylvania and the first Director of

President Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Community

Initiatives, who conceived the Amachi program; Mayor John F.

Street, who has led significant contributions to the

Philadelphia program; and hundreds of program participants

from across the nation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

Noreen Shanfelter

Director, Media and Public Relations

215.665.7778

noreen.shanfelter@bbbsa.org SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters of America