About

Changed Choices reaches out to women in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center and the North Carolina Penal System through classes, mentors, professional counseling. With both secular and non-secular pieces, Changed Choices focuses on helping participants develop skills to rebuild their life while incarcerated and after they have served their time.

Mission

As followers of Christ, we empower current and recently incarcerated women to achieve lasting, positive change through programming and personalized mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual support.

Vision

Changed Choices exists so that women who have experienced incarceration lead restored lives marked by healthy decisions, self-sufficiency, and contribution to their communities.

Our History

Back in 1999, Ruth Snyder began visiting two women incarcerated in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. She found the ladies broken, afraid and feeling very much alone. Ruth recruited others and they began to teach, mentor and encourage an increasing number of women at MCDC. When the women left MCDC to go to prison, personal contact continued through the mail and phone calls. It was out of this that "Changed Choices" was born.

We are a nonprofit 501 (3) (c) agency with continues to develop as we provide programs at MCDC and meet the needs of our clients who we follow into prison. God blessed us with the Ruth Snyder Re-Entry Home, named after our founder, for our clients who need housing as they re-enter community.

Our program along with partnerships in the community had made Changed Choices a leader in helping women build new lives beyond prison walls. Today, our very low recidivism rate of 2.1% continues to speak clearly to the effectiveness of the program. We continue to reply on our strong volunteer base and generous donors to carry out our mission.

Women have been able to find gainful employment, have a place of their own, reunite with their children, and support women released after them.

Over the years, Changed Choices has relied heavily on hundreds of volunteer as well as many community partners. This has allowed up to expand and help more incarcerated women get their lives back on track and rejoin society as contributing individuals.

All of our successes are due to the goodness and greatness of God. He has guided, pushed, protected, encouraged, and He never stops working.

To God be the glory!