The Community Foundation of Utah has partnered with former inmate Karl “Willy” Wisness to create a scholarship fund tailored to the needs of young adults who parents are incarcerated.

Now a successful plumber, Wisness said during his 17 years in the Utah prison system he had lots of time to think about the impact of his incarceration on his family. “I didn’t think my daughters should be punished for my mistakes.”

The Community Foundation, a Utah charity established in 2008, said in a statement announcing the scholarship that it and Wisness hope the fund can help break the cycle of generational incarceration. Wisness said inmates will be encouraged to make personal donations to the fund.

The fund will award its first scholarships in 2013 with gifts of $1,000 for students attending two or four year colleges in Utah and $500 for those attending trade schools.