Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership (COIPP) is a non-profit that assists children and their families when a loved one is in jail/prison or has been in this situation. Given the toll this takes on children and their families, and the trauma that often follows such an event, they are there to help. They are a grass roots, one of a kind organization that works in the Frederick, MD region.
A conversation with Shari Ostrow Scher, Founder and Executive Director of COIPP.
Tell us COIPP’s origin story.
I am the Founder and Executive Director of COIPP, a non profit I started years ago. At that time one of my jobs was as the Parent Involvement Supervisor for FCPS. It was obvious to me that there was a need for support for children and families with incarceration in their lives, a group often overlooked. This was of personal interest since my Dad had gone to prison when I was a teenager and at that time there was no help for a person like me. Years later that had not changed. I always knew I had to start an organization like this, and so twenty years ago it began. We have grown bigger than I ever imagined. We get new inquiries about joining our organization just about every week. We are an almost all volunteer organization that wants our participants to know that we are there to meet their needs and offer them support, always without judgment.
What do you like most about being a nonprofit in Frederick?
I love the collaborations in Frederick. We have much support from non profits and businesses alike. I firmly believe the Frederick business owners are interested in helping others. This makes Frederick a wonderful place to have a non profit like ours. In addition we are a ‘working’ board. Everyone is involved in some aspect of our programs. The enthusiasm and energy of our board members is why we are so successful.
What makes COIPP unique?
As said this is a population few think about. Bringing the issues involved in this trauma for children and families to light is unique in its own right. However, we at COIPP are almost all volunteers and we have services for the whole family. From all of my research and discussions with people from all over the world, I have not found another group that functions in this way. In fact, I hear from people all across the state, the nation and, at times, internationally, who want to know how they can start an organization like ours.
What do you want COIPP to be known for?
I want our non-profit to be known for the dedication we have as we support children and their families. We offer a myriad of services and work tirelessly to assist those who participate with us. Everything we do is done with respect and confidentiality, and is, of course, free of charge. The resources we offer are very high quality. In other words I want us known for the care we put into every child and family encounter.
What ways can people in the community support you?
We have drives for resources that include diapers, hygiene supplies, gently used board books and books in Spanish, and more. We often need volunteers for different aspects of our program, including grant writing, program support, fund raising, making of no sew blankets, etc. We are always looking for board members who have skills that we need. We have a number of fundraisers during the year. The list is long and we need the community’s support.
However, an additional way people can assist us is to think about the children who are impacted by the incarceration of their loved one. They need our support, respect and understanding so that they can develop resilience and grit.
What does COIPP do best?
What we do best is meet the participants where they are and offer them the services they need. If a child is having a difficult time in terms of managing their feelings, we can offer high quality books or resources to help them. If they want to go on a COIPP field trip, they can join in on our monthly outings. If a caregiver wants to learn new strategies about dealing with children’s feelings, we are there. If a parent in drug rehabilitation or jail wants to gain knowledge about parenting from a distance, we can provide it. The list is long.
In addition, we offer empathy and lack of judgment, and our participants know we can also be there to just listen. That strength of our organization board and volunteers cannot be overstated.
What are some exciting plans that you have coming up?
At this time we are working on obtaining donations so we can continue to do all we offer, as well as grow our programs. This includes gaining support for our first time boat entry on the creek, the boat called Resilience. We are also in the middle of the United Way’s Unity Campaign. Since we accomplish our work through grants and donations, these fundraisers are very important to us. Events happen all the time. In the next month alone we are having a Sharing Fair at the jail during visitation, a children’s activity, a youth trip to a basketball game at Hood, respite meetings for caregivers, parenting classes at Wells house, and much more. The list is ongoing and rich. In fact, we really never stop!
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