In prison, new life is pieced together

Inmates at the Washington Corrections Center for Women donated nearly 40 quilts and stuffed animals to children at Providence Children's Center at the Pavilion for Women and Children last week, giving away brightly colored bears and lavishly decorated quilts, all handmade.

Mary Rehberg, a community corrections officer, said she got involved with the program when she first toured the Purdy, Pierce County, facility and saw inmates hard at work.

"It was really interesting to see the women and the charity and the projects," she said, adding, "I said, 'Oh, they need materials! They need all kinds of things!' "

So Rehberg hunts for scrap cloth at garage sales and craft-supply stores, stuffing her haul into big bags and then into the back of her Jeep. The cloth is eventually transformed into stuffed animals and quilts, sewn with care by inmates at the WCCW, and donated to charities across the state.

Inmates at the WCCW work with approximately 35 charities, Rehberg said — in 2006, inmates donated more than 3,000 items.

The charity work is part of the transitional process. It's more than just housing and education, Rehberg said, explaining that the charity work also helps them feel more engaged.

"It's important to them to feel like they're giving back to their communities," she said. "They have kids, they have families. ... They're not just these isolated individuals out there."

Cheri Russum, public-relations manager for Providence Hospital Medical Center agreed, saying the program created a bridge between the inmates and the Children's Center patients — to spend so much time and expend such efforts on work they won't see distributed is an act of incredible generosity, Russum said.

The Children's Center patients, many of whom suffer from neurodevelopmental issues, often come from families that lack the means for gifts, and Russum said their bright colors and craftsmanship make the quilts and stuffed animals a big hit .

"I don't know that all of them even understood the concept of a free gift, and where it came from," Russum said with a laugh, "but it was theirs, and they were thrilled."

Linda Shen: 425-745-7812 or lshen@seattletimes.com