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Nurse mentors incarcerated women in faith, performing arts

Topeka Capital Journal - 9/16/2017

For nearly 20 years, Cathy Harris has volunteered with women incarcerated at the Topeka Correctional Facility, where she works to mentor them through Bible studies and drama.

During that time, she said Friday, she and others have been able to teach, instruct, laugh and cry with the women. She hopes that their presence demonstrates love and hope for a better future for each one.

Harris, who will be honored as a "distinguished mentor" Wednesday, Sept. 20, at GO Topeka's Women of Influence Awards, works as a regulatory and compliance readiness specialist at St. Francis Health. She didn't have time to meet with a reporter but answered emailed questions Friday.

Nursing school presented many challenges, Harris said, including a stressful environment that required discipline and making sacrifices.

"I quickly learned that the desire had to be greater than the demands," she said. "I had to learn to keep my focus on the end goal and not to be discouraged through the growing pains."

Harris is currently pursuing an advanced degree in nursing.

She wrote that she sees mentorship as an opportunity to compassionately support and guide others, influencing them to move forward and find success. She feels God has helped her develop the patience required to support others' endeavors.

"I was not always strong in this area, actually I was very impatient," Harris said. "But through years of cultivation and practice, I believe it has become a valued strength in my life."

Harris began volunteering at Topeka Correctional Facility in 1998 through a local church ministry. She said she had felt dissatisfied, and after spending time in prayer, she felt she was being steered toward prison ministry, though it had never previously occurred to her.

She now holds "Transformational Encounter" Bible studies at the prison three days a week, as well as weekly meetings of a drama team she established in 2001. She produces dramas and skits that reflect real-life situations, with a goal of demonstrating practical, godly answers for daily life, she said.

Women who participate in the drama team learn commitment, discipline, camaraderie and compassion, Harris said.

"They are given an opportunity to cultivate unique gifts and potential in their own lives and share them with others through live drama/skits," she said.

According to information provided by GO Topeka, Harris also volunteers in the Kansas Mentorship Program, which is designed to decrease recidivism in correctional facilities; has authored three books; and writes for two blogs.

Contact reporter Samantha Foster at (785) 218-8525 or @samfoster_ks on Twitter.

Credit: By Samantha Fostersamantha.foster@cjonline.com