Happy Birthday, HFP!

Today marks the 25th anniversary of Humanity for Prisoners. This is the 13th in a series of reflections by founder Doug Tjapkes.

 

AI gets it! 

As I look back on the founding of HFP I wonder just what I was thinking! When I took control of my first business, in the broadcasting industry, I was well qualified. When I began my second career in church organ sales, again, I was well qualified. But, it was all different when a wrongly-convicted friend persuaded me to start an organization that help incarcerated men and women. What the heck was I doing? I knew nothing about this field! 

Well, I asked AI for its thoughts, and I felt the response was quite insightful: 

“Your experience with the prison advocacy agency is a perfect real-world example of how powerful a fresh perspective can be. Coming from radio and organ sales, you didn't have the ‘expert blindness’ that often stalls progress in deeply entrenched systems. 

“When you start with zero industry background, you are forced to listen without bias. Your in-prison friendship gave you something far more valuable than technical credentials: raw empathy, immediate insight into the human element, and a clear view of a problem that insiders had grown blind to. That unique combination often drives lasting change far better than standard qualifications.”

An interesting perspective, but what AI missed is the element of divine intervention. 

When I started this organization in 2001, it was a part-time position at a borrowed desk. And yet, kindness, empathy and compassion surpassed the lack of incarceration knowledge and experience. There was rapid growth! Over time realized that my 2 earlier careers were merely preparation for this one. This was my calling! This is where I belonged! 

It eventually became apparent that our name wasn’t quite accurate. Our board chair of that day, Dr. Dan Rooks, suggested a new title: Humanity for Prisoners. That perfectly described our mission! 

That first staff of one part-time person crew over the years. HFP now operates with a staff of 7, assisted by a team of volunteers! Our first headquarters was simply a borrowed desk. Today, we work in our very own debt-free office condo! I remember when we boasted that our monthly total of prisoner assistance topped 100. 

Now let me share some staggering current numbers. 

-Last year HFP responded to 20,000 requests for assistance service requests!

-The active HFP client list is now around 7,000!

-Records show that, in the past 25 years, we have touched the lives of some 17,000 men and women, approximately 50% of the entire Michigan prison population! And, as my son Matt, a former HFP executive director pointed out, that’s only the “tip of the iceberg.” The more accurate number must include families, friends and loved ones. Only the Lord knows that number. 

A divine plan, indeed! 

The credit does not go to Doug Tjapkes. But I must tell you that I feel honored to think that God chose this crooked stick to start a program like none other in the nation. What a ride! 

With that kind of divine assistance, success is guaranteed in the next 25 years. 

"God works through people, and human agencies are the hands of divine compassion." — Unknown