Humanitarian Committee Program: Jail Ministry: Katy O'Connor & Ann Wales

My name is Katy O’Connor. I am 35 years old and come from a small town in southwestern Minnesota. At the age of 14, I was sexually assaulted and began searching for ways to cope. I ended up in an abusive relationship that lasted nearly a decade and shaped me into who I became.  I was a criminal….an addict, and lived a destructive lifestyle with no regard for others. In 2016 I finally left my children’s father and within a year, found myself in prison serving a 28 month sentence. After being released, I reoffended with new charges in MN and WI facing substantial time! In Minnesota alone, I was looking at a mandatory sentence of 115 months. I went through the Adult and Teen Challenge of Western Wisconsin (ATCWW) program and was given a downward departure in the state of MN. I was out on probation and the 10 yrs was placed over my head. After completion of the ATCWW program, I was hired on as a recovery coach. Last August, I was sentenced to a year in county jail and 15 yrs of probation. I recently competed my obligation to the state of WI on work release. I now work at the Adult and Teen Challenge in La Crosse as the Spiritual Care Coordinator. I’ve been freed from my addiction and have over 3 years sober!

Ann started her career in ministry with her first husband, planting a church in Cloquet, Minnesota and teaching in a Bible School in Lebanon the country north of Israel.  Her husband Steve then died of malignant melanoma and her career took a turn.  She received a master’s in communication and ended up in Human Resources which brought her here to La Crosse.  She met her current husband Scott here in La Crosse and worked for many years at Gundersen Health System.  While at Gundersen she took a unit of Chaplain Training and decided to go back to school.  The help she received while her husband was dying spurred her desire to show up for others during their worst times.  Her husband Scott had introduced her to jail and prison ministry, so once she had her degree in Christian theology, she applied to be the chaplain at the jail.  Ann is so grateful they hired her in 2019 and has been there ever since.