Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 25, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE A6 A 6 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015 SATURDAY SPECIAL winnipegfreepress. com Y OU wouldn't think anything or anyone good could come out of a life sentence in prison. But for one " lifer" with a friend and lifeline to the outside world, it's been a time to flourish, with something to live for if and when he gets out. Donald Richard, 38, had a Grade 10 education and little hope when he was put in prison. He's since received his high school diploma, won a literacy award for tutoring, discovered he's a gifted artist, met a woman who loves him unconditionally and a best friend who is going to be the best man at their prison wedding in September. Richard is making good use of hard time, and he credits that to staying connected to people on the outside. Phil Loewen has been visiting him for more than seven years - from the time Richard was charged with murder in 2008 and held at the Winnipeg Remand Centre to his trial, where he was convicted and sentenced to life, to the penitentiary in Prince Albert, Sask., where he was Richard's only visitor one year, to Stony Mountain Institution, where Loewen sees him every two weeks. They met through Open Circle - a faithbased program that for 44 years has been connecting volunteers with inmates who want a visitor. The first meeting can be a little awkward, Loewen said. " It's like a first date. ' Are we going to see each other again?' " he laughed. Richard said he was experiencing the criminal justice process for the first time, and Loewen was there to hear about it. " I was able to share that experience with Phil," Richard said. Finding Open Circle volunteers isn't easy, but those who join seldom quit, said prison visitation director Rev. Glenn Morison. " It's not an easy sell, but we have incredible retention," said the former remand centre chaplain, adding no experience is required. " You're not going in as a therapist or a teacher. You're going in as a friend." Richard said he heard about Open Circle from Morison when he was in the remand centre and asked to have a regular visitor to keep him connected to the world outside. " At that time, I was expecting little to no contact," Richard said in an interview in the visiting room at the Stony Mountain federal prison, north of Winnipeg. Its round tables and stools are bolted to the floor. Signs on the many vending machines warn inmates they can look but not touch. When Loewen comes to visit, he gets Richard a bag of Hickory Stix chips and a Dr. Pepper from the machines. Richard asks Loewen about what's going on in his life. The successful business owner and grandfather said at first, he hesitated to talk about things such as winter vacations and time with his family - things Richard could only dream about. But the inmate wanted to know about it, he said. " He never made me feel bad for enjoying my life," Loewen, 62, said. They share a love for their kids, he said. " He has a daughter. I have children." Richard loves motorcycles, and so does Loewen. Loewen was on a motorcycle trip out west when he surprised Richard by visiting him in the Prince Albert pen. Richard later surprised Loewen with a sketch he made of a classic Indian motorcycle. Richard said he started drawing in prison because he was unable to source greeting cards and decided to make his own. Loewen spread the word about Richard's talent, and now there's a Facebook page displaying his graphite sketches. Loewen jokingly refers to it as Richard's " escape." Richard's art is that and more, said Morison. " It's therapy for him," he said. " He carries a lot of shame and remorse." In 2011, Richard was given a life sentence for the first- degree murder of Ivan Radocaj, a former wrestler known as the Croatian Giant. He's ineligible for parole for 25 years, unless the so- called faint- hope clause - which has since been repealed - is applied for and granted once he's served 15 years. Richard said Loewen's visits help him stay connected to society, and if and when he is released, he'll be able to cope. Little things such as hearing about Loewen's motorbike trips and getting a postcard from the road mean a lot, said Richard. " It's like he's sharing part of his life. This is what I need - inspiration to connect to the outside." He said Loewen is a friend he can open up to without having to watch his back - practically unheard of in prison. By Carol Sanders ' You're not going in as a therapist or a teacher. You're going in as a friend' - Rev. Glenn Morison CONNECTING with convicts Volunteer visitation service gives inmates support About Open Circle . Started by Mennonite Central Committee. . Run by Initiatives for Just Communities. . Of its 105 volunteers, 70 are men and 35 are women. . There are 31 inmates serving life sentences who receive visits. . There are 60 inmates on the waiting list to have a visitor ( 50 men and 10 women). . For information about the program, call 204- 925- 1928 or go to http:// wfp. to/ x53. - source: Open Circle Continued on next page Tamara Traverse ( left) says Dianne Cooper has been a ' consistent' presence in her life. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Volunteer Phil Loewen holds a sketch by Stony Mountain inmate Donald Richard ( inset). He visits Richard every two weeks. A_ 06_ Jul- 25- 15_ FP_ 01. indd A6 7/ 24/ 15 6: 54: 07 PM ;