Special Exhibit Highlights Extended Family Founder

Gadsden- Laure Clemons and her daughters were just a few miles from home when
they were stopped by a sheriff diverting traffic around a tragic
accident. As Laure scanned the wreckage, her heart sank. She recognized
the back of her husband’s truck. Her husband Jerry, a recovering
alcoholic who had been sober for nine years, had made the devastating
decision to break his sobriety. That choice set off a chain of events
that forever changed his life and the lives of his wife and daughters.
While driving under the influence, Jerry collided with another vehicle,
resulting in the heartbreaking loss of one passenger, serious injuries
to another, and life-threatening injuries to himself. Ultimately, he was
sentenced to six years in prison, leaving Laure and their children to
navigate a new reality, one marked by separation and uncertainty.

In the darkness, Laure found purpose. That painful day led her to create
_Extended Family_, a community-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting
families facing the incarceration of a loved one. She vowed to give
others the support she so desperately needed but could not find. Since
that time more than twenty years ago, her vision has illuminated the
lives of thousands of adults and children left behind when a family
member enters the prison system.

Laure’s journey is a testament to resilience, hope, and the power of
turning personal pain into meaningful purpose. Through Extended Family,
she has created a beacon of light for countless families walking the
same difficult path. This year, Jerry celebrated 24 years of sobriety.
He serves as Reentry Coordinator for _Extended Success for Life, _an
Extended Family mentoring program designed to help other men return from
prison to their communities successfully.

Laure and Jerry’s story, along with the stories of several others, has
been preserved in an exhibit by photographer Patti Ford called
_Journeys, _which is now on display at the Mary G. Hardin Center for
Cultural Arts, 501 Broad Street, Gadsden, Alabama. Admission is free and
the gallery is open Monday through Thursday, 10am – 5pm; Friday, 10am
– 1pm; and Saturday, 10am – 5pm.

For more information on the programs and services offered by Extended
Family, please visit our website, www.extendedfamilyhelp.org [1].