Clark believes in planning ahead.
The Holland resident was in the “what’s next?” phase of his life while serving an eight-month sentence in Ottawa County Jail. He knew plugging into the community upon his release was vital to a successful life.
Following his release in November 2024, Clark fueled his desire to connect with the outside world through the faith-based nonprofit 70 x 7 Life Recovery’s Changes class. The nonprofit helps men and women released from incarceration by supporting their journey toward self-sufficiency.
The goal of 70 x 7 is to change the trajectory of an ex-inmate’s life so they overcome their struggles and find purpose.
“I journaled things in jail and wrote about things that I wanted to do when I got out,” says, Clark, who asked that his full name not be used to protect his family. “When you look at what 70 x 7 does, it’s all those things that I wanted to do. These people opened their arms to me and loved me despite my faults, and that’s hard not to be gravitated towards (something like that).”
Clark says the class enabled him to steer his life in a constructive direction.
Building productive attitudes
The Changes class has two segments: two days of classroom instruction and two days of volunteer work at a local church.
It aims to help former inmates understand how their behavior has negatively impacted their life and to adopt a new attitude and behavior, including working a service-type job such as janitorial work. Additional 70 x 7 services include mentorship, finding employment and housing, and providing gas and food cards, bicycles, and occasionally a first month’s rent.
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Shandra MartinezWendy Dreese speaks with a 70 x 7 colleague.
The volunteer work is humble, but it allows Changes instructors to see how well a person follows directions and to evaluate their work ethic, with the ultimate goal of recommending them for a permanent job if all works out well.
“It (Changes) includes volunteering at a couple of local churches nearby where you might be picking the gum off of the bottom of a church pew or cleaning the bathroom floors,” Clark says. “It’s meant to be a service opportunity so that you can be observed.”
Changes made such a difference in Clark’s life that he decided to put his skills as a retired sales manager to good use by volunteering to lead parts of the class, talking about “working and interviewing and how to put your best foot forward and things like that,” he says.
“As a sales manager, I had hired hundreds of salespeople. I can give them an idea of what someone is looking for during an interview, especially someone who’s coming into an interview kind of brow-beaten, feeling anger, worthless, or what have you. There are appropriate ways to bring that up and inappropriate ways. You don’t want to vomit your truth and reality over somebody. They’re generally not looking for that kind of detail.”
Cutting recidivism
Wendy Dreese, 70 x 7’s relationship manager, says Changes is open to all.
“The Changes class has a lot of biblical references, (but) you don’t have to be a believer to come through those doors,” she says. “When they are done, we just hope something has been planted.”
70 x 7 is based in two churches: Together Church in Wyoming and Moran Park Church in Holland. It also offers support skills classes and individual and family support groups. Here's a
complete listing.
“We dream of expanding our services in other counties,” says Dreese. “The need is great.”
70 X 7’s name alludes to Matthew 18:22, which refers to unlimited forgiveness, not a literal number.
A key barometer of 70 x 7’s success is its ability to lower the recidivism rate among its participants, resulting in a marked savings in taxpayer funds.
It costs approximately $35,000 per year to house and feed a Michigan inmate, all of which results in a 30% recidivism rate. In contrast, 70 x 7’s mentorship and support programs require an investment of roughly $5,000 per person. Less than 4% of program participants return to jail or prison. Last year, the nonprofit served approximately 500 people, which saved Michigan taxpayers over $2 million, according to 70 x 7.
“Our No. 1 (goal) is decreasing the percentage of recidivism,” says Dreese. “We’re mending the bridge between the community and the people who are getting out of incarceration, and helping them get acclimated in the community by receiving re-entry services, partnering with the jails and prison systems and other community partners, and having those resources available for those who are reentering society after incarceration.”
Partnering with personnel from area jails, prisons, and elsewhere is vital to connecting with inmates, according to Dreese.
“We work inside the jails and the prisons,” she says. “We work with the chaplains inside the prison, the community mental health inside the prison, probation officers as well as the local police department.
Welcoming diversity
Dreese says that as the nonprofit’s relationship manager, she wears a number of hats to help people confidently reconnect with life outside jail.
“I answer phones, emails, complete intake and a job readiness course,” she says. “I teach them some life skills and job skills, build relationships with participants, and run the women’s house that’s located in Ottawa and Kent counties.”
70x7 Life Recovery recently received a financial boost to its mission thanks to a $222,600 grant from the Michigan Justice Fund. The funds will enable 70x7 to invest in technology systems that will streamline processes and become more culturally competent through DEI education.
According to its website, 70 x 7 believes diversity improves its value by offering multiple backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. The nonprofit actively looks for opportunities to enhance its diversity in recruiting and engaging board members, advisory council members, staff, volunteers, and partnering employers.
Clark says that by and large, he’s lived his life above board, yet still made some very poor choices. He does not want to forget those days or what 70 x 7 has done for him.
“I was emotionally broken, depressed, sad,” he says. “I’m so torn about making poor choices in life, and yet there’s still this knowledge that God loves me, he wants great things for me, and he puts his loving arms around me and offers me tenderness and forgiveness. I want to be a part of that.”