Wings For LIFE International
Transforming lives to break the generational cycle of incarceration.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Wings springs from the passion of caring people and the deep concern we have to help families of prisoners who have been largely shunned or ignored by our society. In our society where children are all at risk in one way or another, children whose parent(s) are in prison, face even more challenges. Wings provides an arena for effective ways to rebuild assets in the lives of our young people, which can greatly reduce or prevent their involvement in at-risk behaviors.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Wings For L.I.F.E. - Life-skills Imparted to Families through Education, is an empowerment program provides life-skills, education, training and support for children and family members of prisoners to reduce generational crime and imprisonment, and is a best-practice program with a 4% recidivism rate.
Where we work
Awards
National Award of Excellence in Crime Prevention 2009
American Probation and Parole Association
Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Award 2017
NM Children’s Law Institute
Martin Luther King Jr. Keep the Dream Alive Award 2017
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of children who have the ability to understand and comprehend communication
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of children who have the ability to seek help from and respond appropriately to adults
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Age groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of children able to exercise appropriate control in independent and group activities
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of children who have a sense of their own feelings and an ability to express empathy for others
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of children who have the ability to use language for expression and to communicate with others
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of students demonstrating responsible behaviors and work habits
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of students receiving personal instruction and feedback about their performance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Rate of student attendance during the reporting period
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of links and collaborations with external organizations that support student learning and its priority tasks
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of training events conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of attendees present at rallies/events
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Ethnic and racial groups, Family relationships, Social and economic status
Related Program
Wings For L.I.F.E.
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Wings For LIFE International’s mission is to transform lives to break the generational cycle of incarceration. We help build relationships that transform the lives of families, volunteers and communities. We connect spouses, caregivers & children of prisoners with nurturing & supporting relationships. Wings conducts joyous celebrations of unconditional love that break down barriers.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Wings For L.I.F.E. – Life-skills Imparted to Families through Education, which is an empowerment/support group for the entire family that builds Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets© and offers support and education for children, parents/caregivers, and returning citizens.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have 15 years of weekly programming which for the past 14 years has a proven 4% recidivism rate. In 2020, we have launched Zoom and live Facebook streaming of our Monday night programming that reaches across the United States and Internationally. The effectiveness is that the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) is putting all of our programming on the tablets of the inmates. The New Mexico Corrections Department is actively trying to find a way to bring our progamming to all 11 New Mexico prisons through technology.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have proudly accomplished a 4%recedivism rate the past 14 years. We have had zero pregnancies for teens that have attended 10 times or more per calendar year. Every student who has attended 10 times or more per calendar year have progressed to the next grade indicating no drop out students. We've been recognized for State and National Best Practice Program. What's next for us is to expand to jails, both state, federal, and international jails and prisons, halfway houses and facilities dealing with returning citizens.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Wings For LIFE International
Board of directorsas of 03/30/2023
Don Shapiro
James Harmon
University of New Mexico, Wagner Power Systems
James Zanios
Zanios Car & Truck Gallery
Rob Koehler
KPMG
Gary Pennington
Paula Burns
NMCD
Marjori Krebs
University of New Mexico
Bob Moore
Rainstar Capital Group
Dan Stouffer
Intel
Carlos Torres
Modulus Architects Inc.
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: