The Way Home fundraiser April 21 to feature singer-songwriter Doug James

Delawarean Doug James will be the keynote entertainer for The Way Home’s fundraiser beginning at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, April 21, at Irish Eyes Restaurant overlooking the harbor in Lewes.

James’s songs have been recorded by artists and producers such as Dionne Warwick, Joe Cocker, Barry Manilow, Michael Bolton, Dan Hill, Cher, Laura Branigan, Phil Ramone, Narada Michael Walden and many more. His songs include such hits as "After You," "I Fall All Over Again," "Don’t Tell Me, Tell Her," "Break it to Me Gently" and the Billboard No. 1 hit and BMI Song of the Year "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?"

For more information, go to dougjamesmusic.com. A supporter of The Way Home, James will be playing some of his hits as well as songs from his soon-to-be-released album, "All Roads…" (produced with fellow Delawarean and lifelong friend Keith Mack and due out this summer).

For more than 13 years, The Way Home’s staff and volunteers have been meeting former prisoners at the prison gates and the office door in Georgetown to provide connections with community, meet needs and foster relationships that prevent return to prison.

Since 1998, The Way Home has helped hundreds of ex-offenders stay out of prison by providing case management to participants for less than one-sixth the cost of incarceration. The Way Home program aims at no more than 5 percent recidivism among participants and tries to eliminate a return to prison among participants altogether.

The Way Home Director Barbara Del Mastro explains: “Most of the men and women who come to us are homeless and penniless. Many have burned bridges with family, friends, and former employers, and are often seeking to relocate to an area that does not have the same temptations and pitfalls that faced them before going to prison. Few of our participants have driver’s licenses and most do not have adequate identification when we pick them up at the prison gates. We work with people to overcome challenges like these, so that they have a fighting chance at building a new, crime-free life. We offer encouragement, and emotional and spiritual support, as well as very practical help, letting our participants know that they are not alone in this struggle. This time they have a support team with them every step of the way.”

The Rev. Max Wolf, rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Rehoboth and St. George’s Chapel in Harbeson, and The Way Home’s board chairman, said, “We are blessed by this program to witness daily miracles as participants heal from past mistakes and turn their lives around with the support of our staff and volunteers.”

The event will feature hors d’oeuvres beginning at 5:30 p.m., a silent auction, door prizes and a buffet dinner. To reserve tickets, contact Bob Davis at 302- 293-5336.

For more information about The Way Home or to volunteer, call the office at 302-856-9870 or email barbara@thewayhomeprogram.org.