Goodwill

Bernice Jepson

Bernice visits correctional facilities to teach inmates how to be “job ready” when they are released.

From the age of 6 to18, Bernice Jepson was a victim of verbal, physical and sexual abuse. Her sister and brother were also abused at the hand of their alcoholic father. The children’s mother could not protect them; she, too, was beaten daily. Bernice tells us family warmth was non-existent, as was any communication other than the voice of her abusive father. In an attempt to avoid the abuse, Bernice and her siblings tried to be invisible.

Bernice escaped the situation by getting married at the age of 18. To earn a living, she chose a “giving” profession as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Although she had escaped her father’s home, she could not escape her past. While on the job, she experienced crippling flashbacks. Their frequency and gravity resulted in her inability to function. Bernice had no choice but to face her pain again. However, this time she was assisted by a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder counselor. Through education, her counselor helped her cope and gain new awareness about her condition, and was the motivation for her next life change.

 Having become stronger through self-awareness, Bernice sought certification as a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder counselor and began helping other abused women and children. Working with county, federal, and state agencies, as well as schools and prisons, she educated members of the legal profession, the court system, and the community at large in issues of trauma and abuse. She was also an on-call responder to crime scenes involving domestic violence.

In many cases, her on-site counseling resulted in victims filing charges against their abusers. While Bernice’s positive influence helped victims, the steady stream of seemingly endless cases began to take an emotional toll. She was ready for her next professional life change.

 Bernice was referred to our Job Connection program in Salem. For more than two years, Bernice has served as an intake specialist in our Salem Job Connection office. In addition to working with people as they enter the program, she visits correctional facilities to teach inmates how to be “job ready” when they are released. She has also forged a new relationship with Oregon Partners in Crisis, working with them to provide Job Connection information to Oregon veterans returning home from duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

 Bernice exemplifies qualities of both strength and compassion and that is why she was selected as Goodwill’s Graduate of 1st Quarter 2010.