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President

Don Pratt

Donald Pratt, Bradenton, FL is a certified FIT trainer and has authored or co-authored the Coping with the Losses of Life, Practical Parenting, Anger Dyanmics, Dating and Marriage and Discovering Finacial Success books. He is retired and has spent the last 19 years developing the FIT program and curriculum. As well as being an author and contributing to periodicals and international journals, Don also taught in a Christian college and state universities. He also served as Executive Director of the School Science and Mathematics Association and President of the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association. Don received his Ph.D. from the University of South Florida.

Personal Statement

When I retired and came to Florida in 2004 I had no idea that I would be volunteering most of my time to an organization that did not exist yet and whose focus would be on helping men and women who had hit rock bottom through addiction or crime. I was glad that I could use my skills as a teacher trainer and combine it with my years of experience as a church board member to forge a curriculum that would build both better citizens and better Christians. In the course of time many would join me in producing a quality program that delivers. To all the FIT facilitators responsible for our nearly 25,000 recorded course completions and 400,000-plus  contact hours, thank you.

Vice President

John Ringleb

John Ringleb, Lakeland, FL is a certified FIT trainer. A Southeastern College graduate, John retired from the Polk County School Board where he was an elementary school teacher and a technology specialist for the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS) located in the district office. He served in the Royal Rangers boys program for 30 years in the capacity of Commander, Senior Commander, Section Commander, as well as the District Training Coordinator. He was elected to the FIT Board in 2017. He has served his local church as anger management group facilitator for 17 years and is teaching the FIT classes at the Dream Center in Lakeland, Florida in addition to prison work.

Personal Statement

It is a privilege to be a member of this organization. I am humbled that God would use me to share His love with those I serve. It amazes me that through the curriculum and interactions, I can understand their losses and pain, their choices, and new choices that will lead them down a new path in life. God knows we all have marvelous potential!

Treasurer

Fred DeMouey

Fred DeMouey, Lakeland, FL is a certified FIT trainer. He has been part of the team since its beginning and worked with Dr. Pratt in field testing the first FIT classes in a juvenile prison, county jail, and recovery center. He has conducted monthly chapel services Lighthouse Ministries in Lakeland, FL since 2004, been a mentor at Polk Correctional Institution since 2005 and a chaplain for the last ten years. Fred has a bachelor’s degree in Bible and Theology from Southeastern University. He has served as Treasurer of the organization since its founding.

Personal Statement

I knew at the first meeting May 2006 when the Holy Spirit spoke to me that I would be working with the man speaking. That man Dr Pratt, a man who I had never known. My good friend since 1959, Ed White, had invited me to that first meeting. So, I am just an old guy following the spirit. It would be confirmed just a few years later. We were invited to Dade Correctional Institution for the celebration of our first FIT graduating class there. Over cake and punch, the Warden told us that we were changing the face of his prison. He said that "the troublemakers now graduating today are models of what FIT is doing." That's my true story and I am sticking with it. Need I say more?

Secretary

Jacqueline Yulee

Jacqueline Yulee, Jacksonville, FL was born in Live Oak, Florida and graduated from Suwannee High School. She moved to Jacksonville, FL after high school where she currently resides and attends Impact Church. She has been involved in correctional ministry for over twenty years, worked in various corporate positions for 35 years, with the latest as an office administrator with the Energy Authority. She is currently self-employed as an insurance broker helping individuals with their health and life insurance needs. Her educational training includes work at the Word of Faith Bible Training Center, a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Florida, A Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, a Bachelor of Theology from the Truth Bible College and Seminary, and a Th.D. from Truth University, Jacksonville, FL.

Karen Campbell

Karen Campbell, Bradenton, FL is a new FIT facilitator. Raised in Warren, Ohio, she calls Bradenton, FL her home. She is a retired hair dresser and has owned her shop for more than 17 years. Over the years, she has ministered to her clients and colleagues, believing in "Jesus as our Savior". She loves the FIT program and what it stands for.

Personal Statement

I feel everyone counts and we need to encourage each other. A simle act of kindness can go a long way!!

Betty Drawdy

Betty Drawdy, Bradenton, FL is a certified FIT trainer. Her narrative: My family moved to Bradenton, FL from Tampa, Fl. when I was 10 years old. My first knowledge of FIT books was introduced to me in our Sunday School class. It was Insight and then Free to Grow in 2006 and 2007. I was totally unprepared for the way the classes were conducted but I liked it. It didn’t take me long to get involved in them and I completed all classes and became a FIT Facilitator. My younger years were spent teaching Sunday School for children and later years with adults, children’s church, Missionettes, and FIT Classes. I was president of our ladies ministries for several years. FIT brings much joy to me as I believe God has called me to do what I can in this valuable ministry. The most important thing is that they know you genuinely Love and care about them. My daily prayer is “Jesus put someone in my path today to minister and show your love to.” I am so thankful that as a young child God gave me “unconditional love for all people,” regardless of their circumstances. In my earlier years, I had various roles as baker and cook as well as being an 18-wheel “over the road” truck driver. Most of my later work history was in customer service with 13 years in sales, 17 years with H and R Block, and 22 years with Anthony’s Cooling, Heating, and Electrical.

Personal Statement

My desire since becoming a Christian, has always been to first show Christ’s love to everyone I meet, and then to help them in studying the Word of God and learn how Jesus wants us to Live. My greatest desire is to help them realize that their relationship with Jesus can be personal and how very rewarding that can be.

Patricia Harrop

Priscilla Harrop, Lakeland, FL My love of serving people, helping them to learn how to learn, lasted over 40 years teaching in traditional learning environments in elementary, middle, and high school, university, and in the GED program. I also worked with international students and those with learning disabilities, some with physical concerns as well, serving students within the ADA requirements. I accepted every challenge and opportunity presented to me and that led me into, among other things, writing curriculum and consulting for a school district’s programs. Basically I never said ‘no’. Eventually I reached a point in my life where I needed to stop thinking of myself alone and my career and volunteer to help people outside academia. I learned about the FIT program through a supernatural connection to the Dream Center of Lakeland wanting to develop neighborhood classes. God placed me there facilitating FIT classes since 2016. Group members grow to share, care, and love each other, including me, like friends and family through these classes. Faith grows and lives change, including mine. I am blessed to be a part of the process.

Steven Hill

Steven Hill, Lakeland, FL has served as the Program Director at the Dream Center of Lakeland since 2009. Steven has focused on programming for all ages to help individuals in marginalized communities to grow spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. The FIT Courses have been used effectively at the Dream Center to provide community members with balanced and intentional steps toward maturity. Steven completed his degree in Practical Theology at Southeastern University in 2007 and remained there for his Master's in Ministerial Leadership in 2008. In addition to service at the Dream Center, Steven has served in youth and pastoral ministry and maintains a passion for implementing transformative discipleship into the likeness of Christ. He resides in Lakeland, FL, with his wife, Beth, and his daughter Ginny.

Personal Statement

I believe in the FIT courses because, when approached carefully, they provide a framework for systemic discipleship of the whole being for individuals of many varying backgrounds. One of our most necessary mandates as faithful Christ-followers is to take the process of apprenticeship to Jesus seriously and approach it in a way that produces reliable change and lasting fruit. FIT has proven to help foster the conversations, teaching, and environments needed to lead people toward Jesus. I'm grateful it has been made available to the Dream Center community.

Norine Hodder

Norine Hodder, Lakeland, FL serves as a certified FIT trainer and translator of our course books to Spanish, including Anger Dynamics, Dating and Marriage, and Coping with the Losses of Life. She is an endorsed Correctional Chaplain with over twenty years of volunteer experience in prison, jail, and rehabilitation center ministry. She earned a B.A. in Biology, an M.A. in Biblical Literature, and an M.Div. equivalency. Currently, she is studying toward a D.Min. in Church Ministries. Before becoming a missionary to Spain and then a chaplain, she worked as a chemical lab tech. She has done missionary work in Europe, Africa, several countries of the former Soviet Union, the Caribbean, and North, Central, and South America.

As a certified FIT Trainer, Norine's teaching emphasis is repentance: she wants women and men who have accepted Jesus as Savior to produce fruit that shows that they have repented (Matthew 3:8). FIT courses help the inmates in practical ways to demonstrate that God has changed their lives.

Joseph Johnsick

Joe Johnsick, Carey, OH started working with Ted Gaines in the Florida prison system starting in 2012. He is a certified F.I.T. trainer. He retired from J.C. Penney in 1998 in Findlay, Ohio where he was very active in the community. Past positions include Chairman of the Board of the Chamber of Commerce, President of the United Way, Member of the Board of Directors at the Red Cross and many other community-based programs. He moved to Florida in 2000 and became active in church work at Faith Assembly of God in North Fort Myers. He served on the board of elders, sang in the choir, taught bible study classes for several years under the "Morning Coffee with Joe" handle, and was active in the F.I.T. ministry. Joe moved to Manchester, New Hampshire in 2017 to be closer to family and to help his son, Senior Pastor Joe Johnsick, at the Goffstown Harvest Christian Church in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where he is Director of Operations. He is currently a member on a faith-based task force established by the State of New Hampshire to address how the faith-based community can help with the opioid crisis. Joe is passionate about the FIT ministry because of its focus on Jesus, biblical principles, the “whole person”, and practical applications regarding society and everyday living. Joe feels humbled and privileged to serve with the F.I.T. community. “We are blessed and highly favored as we complete the plan our Father has for us, individually and corporately.”

Tim Linn

Tim Linn, Pensacola, FL began to follow Christ as a teenager. He had the benefit of growing up with parents who modeled following Christ and taught him the importance and joy of giving the best of his time and resources to the Lord. Tim worked for most of his career in federal civilian service. At the end of 2010 Tim and his wife retired early to start volunteering. He is excited to be involved in FIT because the lessons teach valuable skills and the Word of God bears the fruit of new life in Christ.”

Eloise McAllister

Eloise McAllister, Bartow, FL is a certified FIT facilitator for over ten years, spreading the GOOD NEWS within 4+ Women/Men Correctional Institutes in the state Florida . In 1991 she found her Lord and Savior and started becoming the Pastor Eloise McAllister we know today. She has followed many Pastors since then, Pastor Ron Clark, Pastor Kenneth Copeland, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Paster Ron Parsley, Pastor Ron Haggan (deceased) Pastor Marilyn Hickey, Pastor Joyce Myers, Bishop Butler, Apostle Brown, Apostle Kanyinda and Apostle Hayes. Her first church home was Living Waters Church located in Tampa Florida. During this time, she started to walk into the destiny what God had destined for her to be. While being with Apostle Brown she became an Evangelist, then an Assistant Pastor and finally the Pastor of New Testament Tabernacle of Faith located in Brandon FL. Pastor McAllister became the founder of two non-profit organizations. (Daddy's Girls Ministry and New Testament Tabernacle of Faith).

It has not been an easy road for her but through God’s grace she has made it through and became the Woman of God she has been called to be.

Beverly Shatterly

Beverly Shatterly, Southport, NC is a certified FIT trainer. She became a facilitator in 2009 and was the Florida Panhandle representative for many years. She moved to North Carolina in 2017 but still corresponds with some of the Florida families she helped with while there. Beverly is developing new contacts in her new state and is a certified FIT trainer. Beverly was introduced to FIT while serving as Director of Prison Ministry at Vision Church. She served in the position for ten years.

Personal Statement

My call to ministry was based on Matthew 28:19-20. It is a mandate to preach the gospel and make disciples of all men. As a prison minister, I was actively preaching the gospel but FIT was a platform for my being able to disciple the new converts. The program is simple and yet so comprehensive that it was perfect in helping to keep my commitment to God to make disciples. The facilitated program sets the stage for open and honest interaction with both the client and the Word of God. After seeing the effectiveness of the program, it naturally led to the decision to become a FIT board member.

My desire to see this curriculum expand to all prisons led me to help to promote this wonderful program so others may also see the souls discipled that had made a commitment to Christ. I knew that I needed to also take the responsibility to see that the program continued and was funded so we could continue to give our materials away to those who could not buy the curriculum. Most do not even realize their need for this training till they have been in the program for some time. What a privilege to be able to serve with such Godly men and women with a common goal!

John Woods

John Woods, Pace, FL became a facilitator and Board member in 2014. He is a co-author of the Practical Parenting course. He has contributed articles to the Journal of Research and Advanced Studies and co-authored a book about the 1975 Vietnamese Refugee Reception Center at Eglin Air Force Base. John is a retired Chief Master Sergeant from the United States Air Force. He recently graduated from the University of West Florida with Ed.D. degree. John has also served in other Christian organizations. John is currently active in prison ministry in Northwest Florida.

Personal Statement

During my service in the Air Force, I was active in the military chapel and Christian Military Fellowship (CMF). After retiring from the military, my family and I moved to Pensacola, Florida. I completed my educator’s certification and started teaching at an alternative school for at-risk youth. I viewed teaching as a ministry. In 2010, I started serving in prison ministry. FIT has become a logical extension to my prison ministry. I truly enjoy sharing God’s message of hope and love to those who wish to grow in knowledge and their relationship with Christ. God is Good. All the Time!