Interview with Wilson Goode, winner of $100,000 2006 Purpose Prize
Wilson Goode is one of the winners of the 2006 Purpose Prize Awards. He is perhaps best known for his two terms as mayor of Philadelphia (from 1984 to 1992). But in 2000, at age 62, Goode earned a Doctorate of Ministry and took a job as director of Amachi, a nonprofit established to help the 7 million children who have one or both parents either in jail, on parole, or under state or federal supervision. The problem was close to his heart — when he was 14, Goode’s father was sent to jail for assaulting Goode’s mother. The solution was just as personal. Goode paired a proven intervention - mentoring - with a faith-based recruitment strategy. He rallied pastors in predominantly African American communities, who then encouraged their congregants to serve as mentors. Today more than 240 programs in 48 states are affiliated or inspired by Amachi — a Nigerian Ibo word that means “who knows but what God has brought us through this child.” Mentors have helped more than 30,000 children of incarcerated parents. Without intervention, experts suggest, 70% of these children would follow their parents to jail.
Formats available: MPEG-4 Video (protected) (.m4v)