Former parole officer Marilyn Gambrel has created an atmosphere of love at M. B. Smiley High School in Houston, TX. More than 50 percent of the youth there currently have or have had at least one parent incarcerated. Gambrel founded No More Victims, Inc. (NMVI) in 1993, and initiated the program for students at Smiley High in January 2000.

Gambrel acts as a guide, mentor, counselor, cook, and advocate for these troubled kids, helping move them from suicidal and homicidal thoughts toward graduation, jobs, college, and repairing the broken relationships many have with their parents. Many of the kids feel that Gambrell has literally saved their lives and helped to spare the lives of many others by being the one and only person who ever said to them "You are precious. Your existence makes you priceless."

Every day at Smiley, the kids and Gambrell meet for 50 minutes (during a regular class period) to discuss issues of anger, suicide, violence, victimization, trauma, and abuse. NMVI offers education, emotional support, and empowerment to these young people and addresses such issues as parent-child relationships, addictions, victimization, incarceration, and reintegration. The program also feeds the kids and their siblings, provides school supplies, and is on call 24 hours a day. Workshops and other activities are offered at the NMVI office within walking distance of the school.

Gambrell wants America to notice that "these kids are suffering in silence and shame. We as a society must first acknowledge that they even exist and then take the responsibility to address their needs and issues. Having a parent in prison does not doom a child to become imprisoned, but we certainly enhance that chance if we don't step up."

The program has reached over 300 children since its inception at Smiley High and this year, each one of the 15 seniors involved in the program is expected to graduate in May and go on to college or vocational schools or to join the military. The program plans to expand to the school district's elementary and middle schools over the next year.

Gambrell praises her staff members and says she has top of the line help. Perry Beasley, executive assistant director, is a former parole officer. Annette Taylor-Hughes, director of Treatment and Incarcerated Services is a former inmate and in recovery from a 30 year heroin addiction. Today, she serves as a licensed chemical dependency counselor. Henry M. Pittman works as the agency's anger therapist and family educator and has extensive experience in working at correctional and treatment facilities.

"The children completely trust the entire staff and most importantly, the staff has sacrificed together to meet the needs of the children," said Gambrell.

"These kids face so much heartache. You must be willing to nurture, nurture, nurture non stop. Many people think because of the age of our children (14 to 19 years old) that it's too late to have any kind of impact to prevent criminal and violent behavior on their part. But we have proof of what love and support can do, even under the most volatile circumstances. With consistency and commitment and allowing children to tell us their needs and their heartaches, our entire country is tremendously and positively impacted," concluded Gambrell.

For more information on the program, call 713-807-8287 or viist nomorevictimsinc.org.

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