Mid-Atlantic Thresholds General Introduction

The mission of our regional organization, Mid-Atlantic Thresholds, is to develop, upgrade, support, and assist the member chapters in their efforts to teach decision-making skills to the inmates in prison who request the program. Chapters under this regional umbrella include Delaware, Chester, and Lancaster Counties in Pennsylvania, and the State of Delaware. The organization has developed guidelines for responding to requests our chapters receive on how to start a Thresholds program. Training workshops have been held in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York and Virginia. Thresholds has sister programs in other geographical areas such as Northeast Thresholds in New England.

Mid-Atlantic Thresholds meets quarterly and holds an Annual Dinner in the Spring of each year. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, which consists of a maximum of four members selected from each chapter. Current officers of Mid-Atlantic Thresholds are:

President – Fran Cook, Delaware County Thresholds

Vice President – Jerry Nowell, Delaware County Thresholds

Treasurer – Dick Bergeson, Chester County Thresholds

Secretary – Len Beck, State of Delaware Thresholds

The Major Purposes of Mid-Atlantic Thresholds are:

  1. To establish standards so as to insure that information basic to the philosophy, principles, and ethics of Thresholds is taught by all member chapters.
  2. To provide training and certification at Instructor Training Seminars for First, Second, and Third level teachers. Such seminars to be held as needed to maintain a viable, interchangeable base of teachers for the Volunteer Training Course held by member chapters.
  3. To support development of training and teaching materials as needed by member chapters or Mid-Atlantic programs. Such materials shall come under the jurisdiction of Mid-Atlantic Thresholds, and any copyrights shall accrue thereto.
  4. To provide “strength in numbers” for the support of local programs. This support can come from other regional chapters within Mid-Atlantic Thresholds, and sister programs in other geographical areas such as North East Thresholds.