Illinois First Lady Joins Forces With Ex-Convict to Improve Lives of Women Leaving Prison

Illinois First Lady Joins Forces With Ex-Convict to Improve Lives of Women Leaving Prison

Illinois First Lady Joins Forces With Ex-Convict to Improve Lives of Women Leaving Prison Illinois First Lady M.K. Pritzker with Willette Benford A pair of lives that diverged down different paths have now become unlikely partners, merged within a common cause. 60-year-old Willette Benford spent 24 years—nearly half her life—in an Illinois prison until a change in state laws expedited her release. While behind bars though, Ms. Benford earned her GED and an associate’s degree, became an ordained minister, and provided much-needed counsel to support her fellow inmates. When she was released, she entered a residential program called the Grace House, a nonprofit ministry that provides housing, counseling, and other critical support for women who are exiting the Illinois Prison System. Stacking successes, she was soon hired as a legislative assistant for a Chicago alderman, Walter Burnett Jr. “I am what it looks like to give someone a fair chance,” Benford told CBS News Chicago, WBBM-TV 2. “Not a…