World Renowned Social Entrepreneur Dr. Mimi Silbert to Speak at Westminster

Delancey Street Founder and Graduates Share their Experiences and Successes

SALT LAKE CITY – Imagine living in a house with four convicted felons and nothing but a $1,000 loan and a dream. Then imagine turning that situation and dream into what’s been called the world's most successful rehabilitation program for drug addicts and criminals. Meet Dr. Mimi Silbert – a woman who turned her vision into a reality and in the process has transformed the lives of over 14,000 criminals.

Westminster College will host a special lecture by Dr. Silbert, president, chairman of the board, and CEO of the Delancey Street Foundation, and two of her graduates on Feb. 4, 2008 at 7 p.m. in the Gore Auditorium in the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business. They will discuss social entrepreneurship and their experiences and successes.

The Delancey Street Foundation is a residential education center that serves felons, prostitutes, substance abusers, homeless and others who have hit bottom. There are five centers located in New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Los Angeles and San Francisco (headquarters).

Delancey Street has provided residents with academic, vocational, and social skills, as well as discipline, values and the attitudes they need to live in society legitimately and successfully – all of this at no cost to the client or tax payer. Students operate more than 20 businesses inside the foundation, including the Delancey Street Restaurant and Café and the Delancey Street Moving Company. These ‘training schools’ not only generate income, they teach residents marketable skills and inculcate in them habits of self-control and self-discipline. There are currently over 14,000 successful graduates who are all living drug, alcohol and crime free.

Although Delancey Street is her primary work, Silbert is also a recognized national expert in criminal justice. As a criminal justice planner and evaluator, Silbert has directed the evaluation of over 100 projects through such agencies as the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Corrections, and the John D. Rockefeller Foundation.

This lecture is free and open to the public thanks to the generous sponsorship from KeyBank. For more information contact Safia Keller at (801) 832-2733.

Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster is distinguished by its unique environment for learning. Westminster prepares students for success through active and engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. Westminster’s unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake, further enriches the college experience. For more information, visit www.westminstercollege.edu.

(Information courtesy of http://www.delanceystreetfoundation.org and www.pbs.org)