I created a booklet titled “The Faces of Change” for the non-profit organization, the Center of Hope, with four team members and Andra Hansen, the educational facilitator for the center. This booklet was made to be “Evidence of Relevance” to help donors and public officials understand the importance and value of The Center for Hope. We also helped submit a proposal to the National Conference of Restorative Justice, which will take place in July of next year. The goal is for the Center for Hope to host a breakout session at this conference to present and communicate with other organizations throughout the nation that are focused on addiction and recovery. The submission deadline was November 07, 2025, and it was submitted on time.
This report details my contributions to the project, referencing other members of the group and their contributions when appropriate.
Project Purpose & Objectives
This booklet features the stories of a leadership group of incarcerated men that is sponsored by the center, detailing their lives and recovery stories. Many of these individuals are close to either fulfilling their sentences or have the opportunity for parole. Through their stories, we detailed major cycles and themes of addiction and recovery, demonstrating the programs and efforts of The Center for Hope in supporting these individuals. The stories and research were organized into a booklet that totaled 24 pages.
My duties and responsibilities for this project included the following:
- Join Andra at the Center for Hope in Idaho Falls on Thursdays to hold interviews with the incarcerated individuals. I strived to create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing their experiences.
- Create a list of questions in advance and brief them about what I plan to ask about.
- Create a permission and release form as we gather their stories.
- Record the interviews and create a transcript.
- Edit all of the transcripts of the interviews.
- I was a primary leader of the group by assigning tasks, providing creative direction, and providing direction to help them be successful in their efforts.
- I wrote the booklet, using the interviews and research.I was in charge of the “narrative structure” of the booklet.
Samples Of The Project
Challenges Encountered During Project Completion
The greatest challenge to this project was that it kept expanding. More interviews were needed, a new booklet was decided to be created, video interviews were added, more research was conducted, and changes in focus came and went a couple of times. A lot of the changes came from growing needs revolving around the proposal for the NCRJ.
In the middle of October, more rules and opportunities for the proposal were communicated and realized, including a video submission. So, we grabbed our gear and car-pooled down to Idaho Falls to interview Nancy Epseth, the director of The Center for Hope, who will be the primary presenter in the breakout room. We also video-interviewed some of the Recovery Coaches at the center. With the proposal due in early November, it was a mad dash to edit the videos, draft the proposal, design it, and submit it on time.
By the end of the booklet, it was decided by Nancy and Andra Hansen to split the booklet into two. One that focuses on the narrative stories, and another that we were put in charge of, which was meant to be “Evidence of Relevance.” Our focus then shifted to that version of the booklet, making us start from the ground up in our booklet. Following from there, the booklet was made, developed, and finished on December 13th, 2025.
Project Processes
The process of creating the booklet has been broken into eight steps. The list is not in chronological order
The process of this project is as follows:
1. Interviews
I was the primary interviewer for the project, having interviewed about 10 of the 14 men. I strived to create an enviornment of trust by getting their permission to record the interview, and notifying them that they can refuse to answer any questions asked of them.
I conducted a total of eight interviews that were approximately 23-minutes in length each.
Watching for liability, I drafted a short Permission to Release and Use Form, which all interviewees signed. The document ensured that we would only use their interviews for the project, and approved by them.
2. Photography
Elijah Donnelly was primarily in charge of taking and editing the photos. I was the designated driver when we went around Rexburg and Idaho Falls, Idaho, taking photos of rural areas in the area. I would later be the one to add most of the edited photos in the booklet itself as a part of designing the project.
3. Videography
Similiar to the photography of the project, the same can largely be said for the videography portion of the project. I spent time going through the interview footage of Andra Hansen and Nancy Epseth to pull quotes and sections of the video, and provided feedback for Elijah on the video submission of the proposal. All of it was done to fit in the 2-minute time limit.
4. Proposal completion
The proposal was submitted on time by Andra Hansen. We will learn of the results around Next February. The proposal followed all regulations of the NCRJ, including word count restrictions, length, and video options. All of it was done to highlight and project the unique voice of The Center for Hope.
5. Research
In the end, I pulled together 10 major sources we used directly in the booklet, with about 20 more used for background information and context.
6. Writing
I wrote the vast majority of the text, with only one other group member helping with transitions between sections in the booklet.
7. Editing
This included the editing of transcripts produced by the interviews. This part of the project centered on clearing away filler words such as “um” and “like.” Then the focus shifted to fixing certain phrases and lapses in stories and their timelines. Because the interviews were audible, the stories were sporadic, with information being added here and there that needed to be connected. The primary goal was to edit the stories in such a way that enhanced their voices, not muffled them.
I was the primary editor for 9 of the 14 transcripts. Other members of the team handled the other 5.
8. Design
The design of the booklet was primarily done by James Mahonaghan. He designed the cover of the booklet, chose the colors, and helped with the overal structure of the booklet. For my part in designing the booklet, I added design elements that I added were those that helped make it look more like a book, such as adding page numbers, and shifting design elements to match the layout of an open book. I finally added a QR code that takes readers to the individual stories of the incarcerated men for them to read.
An Overview Of Certain Experiences
I would like to focus on three elements of the project: the process of interviewing the incarcerated individuals, writing the content of the booklet, and sharing some of the results and end products with the individuals.
- Interviewing the incarcerated individuals:
Midway through this project, I felt a lot of pressure to produce something of worth for the incarcerated men. I had been put into a position of trust, one that had been broken by many before me. The director of The Center for Hope, Nancy Epseth, said she believed these men had opened up in ways they never had before. I watched one man approach the center’s teacher and confidently tell her he shared his story, while also asking her not to think of him less for its contents. These were stories they had been ashamed of for years. I was afraid of what we were going to write and how we were going to present their stories. But I eventually realized that our only goal should be to magnify the voices of these men. It was not my voice that needed to be heard. I had to consistently remind myself that I was a part of a team that I could lean on. We had editors, a researcher, and a videographer to help carry the voice of the men to build an understanding of their life circumstances. - Writing the booklet:
I was able to learn so much about the struggles of the kind of communities I have lived by, and have lived in. I was able to research and present key information about drug addiction, economic struggles, the lack of access to proper education, and other problems facing many in the recovery community. It was fascinating and devastating to see how the lives of the incarcerated men demonstrated many of the statistics we had been researching. I have gained a lot of perspective regarding what the communities I live near face, and what kind of programs and opportunities can provide support or solutions to those problems. - Presenting some of the results and the booklet to the men and the center:
As of 12/15/2025, the final booklet hasn’t been presented to the incarcerated individuals at the center. That will be done soon, but in late November, I was able to share all of the edited transcripts and the introduction and first section of the booklet with the men and the center. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The men were able to read their interviews and reflect on the vulnerability they shared with the group. They were also able to view how their stories were able to support The Center for Hope and its programs. The Director and other Recovery Coaches also expressed deep gratitude for the work that was put into the booklet.
What Was Learned/Conclusion
The Faces of Change Booklet has been an opportunity to entrench myself in the recovery community. It has stretched my research, writing, and teamwork capabilities. It has changed my understanding of rural communities and of the importance of centers like The Center for Hope. I hope the booklet will be helpful to The Center for Hope, providing evidence of relevance to donors and public officials who approve loans and grants. I also hope those who read the booklet will understand the incarcerated individuals as more than just a number, as individuals who are striving to change their lives and add value to their communities.
The opportunity to work with recovery centers like The Center for Hope has been a life-changing experience for me. I have had the unique opportunity to see the principles of restorative justice in action, adding yet more fuel to the flame of an ever-growing passion and interest in entering the legal field. This project is an early stepping-stone that produces what I hope to be a life-long record of service to non-profit 501(c)(3) centers and others like them.
Video
The Team:
From left to right: Elijah Donnelly, Rachel Anderson, Kyndal Crandall, I (Jordan Lake), Andra Hansen, and James Mahonaghan.
