Her Indianapolis-based organization transports families and friends of those incarcerated to and from 16 different state and federal prisons.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN, April 14, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Cecelia Whitfield has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Following a long and successful career as a mainframe computer operator at AT&T in Indianapolis, Ms. Whitfield retired from her full-time employment in the corporate sector to focus more on her nonprofit initiatives. Having established the Use What You've Got Prison Ministry (UWYGPM) in 1988, her Indianapolis-based organization transports families and friends of those incarcerated to and from 16 different state and federal prisons.
As the founder and president of her ministry, Ms. Whitfield focuses on keeping families connected, despite imprisonment. Among other goals, she has worked hard to develop critical thinking, communication, and quantitative skills in program participants, promote a better understanding of values and ethics, and inspire intellectual growth and the strength to adapt. In addition to providing shuttle bus services to and from various prisons, Ms. Whitfield's organization offers counseling services to families, spiritual retreats, holiday assistance, and more. She also relies on a dedicated team of board of directors that have been instrumental in UWYGPM's success.
Ms. Whitfield launched her nonprofit ministry while her son was in prison. Concerned by the many individuals that could not visit their loved ones due to lack of transportation, she sought to help. More than 35 years later, Ms. Whitfield continues to provide transportation and many additional services. Among her future goals, she aspires to acquire additional passenger vans or buses to increase the number of prisons visited each month. Ms. Whitfield graciously accepts new volunteers, including drivers, support leaders, and mentors, and relies on donations to sustain UWYGPM.
As a civil-minded individual, Ms. Whitfield has been instrumental in her community as a Marion County Re-Entry Coalition member since 2003, a program that helps adult offenders successfully reintegrate into society. She has also been a member of the National Crispus Attucks Alumni Association Inc. since 2017, supporting and sponsoring fundraising events for students of Crispus Attucks in their pursuit of education, and serves as the dean of Mission U, Indiana United Methodist Conference, United Methodist Women, since 2022, an annual event for united women in faith. Moreover, Ms. Whitfield is an active Indy Chamber of Commerce member and volunteers her time accompanying mothers on weekend trips as part of the Educational Empowerment Weekend.
Ms. Whitfield earned a Bachelor of Arts in Christian ministry from Indiana Christian University in 2000. Subsequently, she received an associate's degree in business administration and management from Ivy Tech Community College in 2016. Ms. Whitfield also received credentials as an offender workforce development specialist in 2013 and credentials as an ordained minister.
To remain aware of developments in her field, Ms. Whitfield is an active member of the American Correctional Association.
Ms. Whitfield notably worked for AT&T from 1968 to 1996. She credits much of her success with the telecommunications company and her subsequent victory in ministry work to consistent bible study and prayer.
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