A Letter from Our Founders

As Welcome to a New Life friends, contributors, and community partners we would like to share some thoughts with you.

During our lives’ journeys we have experienced many unbelievable happenings. Sure, there have been sad and challenging times, great times of happiness and large disappointments, but perhaps, more than most of us can understand, the Power from above provided much strength and support. We have so much to be thankful for each day.

In the very first days of developing Welcome to a New Life, we became quickly aware that an effort of this magnitude would need support from 100% of the community. We knew we had to reach out on an individual basis to community members from all areas of interest and lifestyles. That effort took over two years to complete.

Justice Sharon Kennedy and author Sam Quinones – both dynamic speakers at our annual breakfast events. Well, the Welcome to a New Life Annual Recognition Breakfast this year spoke loudly and clearly about the incredible, wonderful citizens with which this community has been blessed. As the mentors and mentees working inside our program deal with recovery, relapses and criminal justice issues, your support has been crucial to continuing our mission. Please permit us to express our feelings about the importance of that.

Welcome to a New Life is an important and successful program. We are so pleased and proud of so many fantastic people.  Carla Benjamin, Kim Kogan, Joyce Ziegler, Dan Metzger, Jim Woodward, Precia Stuby, Dr.John Malacos, Tamera Rooney, each outstanding. WNL Board members, the amazing Mentors, the courage and hope of the Mentees to take their step for a new life. Gary Harpst, our excellent Criminal Justice System, elected officials and other great nonprofits, the Public Defenders and private Attorneys, our blessed health services, the churches, the news outlets, WBGU-TV,  the educational system, each and our remarkable donors being so critical, The Noon Rotary Club, local businesses that have stepped up so well, Duane & Kathy Jebbett, Chuck and Dee Dee Bills, Thomas and Katheline Donnell, Emil and Joyce Ziegler, and to sum up all, just a very unusual and fabulous community that truly cares for each other.

Welcome to a New Life has many goals and challenges ahead as we work to improve the safety and quality of life for our mentees. The success of Welcome to a New life has been one incredible experience and we hope it has been an enjoyable and rewarding one for you also.

Thanks be to God, lives are being changed to an amazing new life.  

Your friends and co-founders,
Stan Kujawa and Puck Rowe