A Mother’s Day Reflection from Gerald Dooley, Director of In-Prison Initiatives at PEP
At PEP, we often talk about transformation, second chances, and the men working to rebuild their lives and futures.
But behind so many of those stories are women carrying burdens that are rarely fully seen or understood.
This Mother’s Day, Gerald Dooley, PEP’s Director of In-Prison Initiatives, shared a deeply personal reflection about the mothers, grandmothers, wives, and caregivers who continue showing up through some of life’s hardest moments.
“Good morning, PEP,
As we move closer to Mother’s Day, I have found myself reflecting deeply on who the true silent heroes are when incarceration impacts a family. While we often focus on the men inside our program and the transformation they are experiencing, there is another group carrying a weight that is rarely talked about enough, the mothers.
The mothers who answer every phone call.
The mothers who drive hours for visits.
The mothers who raise children while trying to hold a family together.
The mothers who carry financial burdens, emotional burdens, and the quiet heartbreak that comes with watching someone they love struggle behind prison walls.
Whether it is a mother supporting her son, a wife carrying the responsibilities of a household while her husband is incarcerated, or a grandmother stepping in to raise children, these women endure more than most people will ever truly understand. They continue to show up through pain, disappointment, uncertainty, and exhaustion, often without recognition.
I know personally, all too well, the pain that I caused my own mother during my incarceration.
I know it was not easy.
I know there were sleepless nights, worry, disappointment, fear, and emotional burdens that she carried because of decisions I made.
Looking back now, I understand more clearly the weight that mothers often carry in silence while trying to hold everything together.
And I am deeply thankful that I had such a great mom during that period in my life. Her love, support, and refusal to give up on me helped shape the man I became.
I know many of the men we serve today are standing on the shoulders of mothers who never stopped believing in them, even when the world did.
What PEP does is not limited to transforming the lives of the men in our program. We impact entire families. We impact children. We impact mothers who have spent years praying for change, hoping for healing, and waiting for the day they can see their loved one become the man they always believed he could be.
Some of the most emotional moments I have witnessed in this organization have not come from the men themselves, but from the mothers sitting in our graduations with tears in their eyes because, for the first time in a long time, they can finally see hope again.
I want to personally express my deepest gratitude to every mother within PEP, every mother who volunteers her time, every mother who walks through our units, attends our graduations, supports our mission, and pours love into people who desperately need it.
To all the mothers in and around PEP:
Happy Mother’s Day.
Thank you for your love, your sacrifice, your resilience, and the impact you make every single day.
With love,
Gerald Brisco
Director of In-Prison Initiatives
Prison Entrepreneurship Program“
To every mother connected to the PEP family, thank you.
Your strength changes lives more than you may ever fully realize.
