On March 16, 2010 Jay Worrall, the man who founded the Offender Aid and Restoration program died. He was 94.
Jay’s life is an example of how one person can impact so many. Jay’s vision and dedication produced a positive impact for thousands of individuals and families. Nearly 40 years ago he had a vision to bring community mentors into jails to serve as role models and help prepare the young men and women for their return into our communities. That vision continues in the work done by the OAR programs in Charlottesville, Richmond, Fairfax, and Arlington, Virginia, and in Anderson and Indianapolis Indiana.
“Two roads diverged into a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” This quote from Robert Frost has always struck me as a reminder of what one person can do. On this day that person is Jay Worrall.
When I learned of his death it was a sad day for me personally. As one of my colleagues said his life and contributions have made such a difference in the lives of many; those who have worked at the OARs throughout the state and country, those that live in those communities, and most importantly, in the lives of the people OAR serves. His vision to help offenders as they returned to the community was rare 40 years ago. Its importance was not understood then as it is today.
One of Jay’s daughters, Laura Tennyson, said she hopes her father will be remembered for “how he embraced the world and embraced human beings.” I could not agree more. Being part of an organization that has helped offenders for nearly four decades is something for which we, at OAR, can be proud of and thankful. Jay has made all the difference to us and the many we have served.
When I think of Jay, I remember a gentle soul who was always willing to help those less fortunate than he. When he took the road less traveled it did make all the difference.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 2:48 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.