This May we are excited to be exploring partnerships with CVCJ (the local Restorative Justice program), LOHM (teaching digital skills to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons) and Cisco Systems (job training and placement for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons). It’s exciting to see so many relationships come out of a shared passion for change and we’re looking forward to seeing the results!

We’ve been hard at work, visiting both the juvenile facility and the local jail. We’re excited that one of the local juveniles is going to be furloughed to witness a local festival and expose him to a different side of our city. We’re printing stickers with the design created by the artists at BRJD as well as attending events to advocate for community support for the incarcerated juveniles and adults, and especially upon their release. We know that people with opportunities fare far better than those without. That’s why we’re also working on a tech partnership that would allow training for the incarcerated population and help create an incarceration to work pipeline.

We’re looking at expanding the scope of our services. We love working in the local community and are also receiving requests from people outside of our geographic region. So, if you’re interesting in reentry classes or know someone who is, let us know and once we gauge interest we’ll look at scheduling weekly classes. Thank you!

Bryan is back on the grind with our reentry guys as we evaluate the program and see what further services and support will make the biggest difference. We are grateful to the dedication of the guys who show how they want to better their lives and grow into a position where they can help others by sharing their hard-won experience.

We are grateful for a new year and the opportunity to continue expanding and finding ways to support. We have been into the juvenile facility several times, including bringing catered food in for Christmas. There isn’t much that matches the feeling of watching joy and gratitude on the faces of kids who have so often felt unseen and forgotten.

Lots of meetings in the coming weeks to look at the best way to expand. We’re considering online content to make the reentry curriculum and other resources more widely available. We’re even looking at expanding into a foundation model so that we can resource and empower grassroots groups that are doing good work.

We’re excited to see what the new year brings and grateful for your support!