8/25/2022
Dear CCI Management Team,
My name is Angela Thatcher, and I currently work as the Order Entry Clerk at the CCI Print Shop. I have worked for the Print Shop for the past five years. During that time, I have learned and worked in our Bindery, Shipping, and Order Entry departments. I didn't know anything about the Printing industry before coming to work here. I have learned much about printing and in the process have learned skills that I will be able to use when I am released. The Print Shop has given me a professional work environment that is separate from "prison life" and the opportunity to grow as a person while still incarcerated. I am treated as a valued member of a team and it has helped me to develop good interpersonal skills and has greatly improved my sense of self-esteem because I know I can make a valuable contribution to my work place. Here, I am more than a number - I am a member of a team that provides important products for CDOC, DOR and the Department of Human Services. I have a sense of purpose and accomplishment as a result of my employment at the Print Shop. I am building a good work ethic and is officially the longest job I have ever had. I hope to continue my employment for the Print Shop until I am released. This will be an excellent reference in my efforts to gain employment on the outside.
In addition to the tremendous personal and professional growth I have experienced as a result of my employment, I have been able to support myself because of the monthly income I earn. In order to maintain relationships with my 5 amazing children and my mom, phone calls and letters are important. Stamps and phone calls are expensive. Before working for the Print Shop, I felt like a burden to my family and friends because I had to depend on them for the money to call and write. Now, I am able to pay for phone calls and crafts items to make and send off to those I love. It helps tremendously to be able to stay close to those I love who are also "doing time" with me. I have also been able to pay over $4000 towards my restitution because of my employment at the Print Shop. It is extremely important to me to be a productive member of my community - whether here in prison, or on the outside. Being able to make a relatively substantial contribution to my restitution has been an important part of my personal commitment to taking responsibility for the poor choices of my past.
I am very thankful to CCI for the opportunity I have been given here at the Print Shop. I wish that there were more opportunities for the women of Colorado's prisons to work for CCI. It creates a great platform for learning, growth and continued success on a daily basis and into the future.
Sincerely,
