April is a Big Month
We’re halfway through the month of April and have had a great and busy start to the second quarter of 2024.
We’ve:
Celebrated the 9th Graduation of the RISE Business Academy
Launched a new online volunteering opportunity
Placed over 100 RISE Giving Day yard signs around Nebraska
Worked with our active 102 In-Prison Program participants
65 Family Program participants
Supported our Community Navigator’s caseloads with reentry support
Spoken to UNO, Creighton, and Rhode Island University students about vulnerable populations and incarceration
April: It’s a Big Month
April is a great month for many reasons. First, it's Second Chance Month. Second chances can often be a returning citizen's first opportunity when they face housing insecurity, foster care, and generational trauma. These chances include resources, opportunities, and support that may have been previously inaccessible or unknown. We support second chances and hope you do too. Re-entry programs like RISE can provide the programming and tools for these opportunities.
April is also National Volunteer Month. RISE would not be able to do this work without the care, support, and kindness of our volunteers. We have a special, trusting, and trustworthy group of volunteers. Some have bravely said, 'sure, I'll go to prison with you,' while others have embraced new online initiatives. We are forever indebted to you for your contributions to this mission and the people we love to serve. Thank you will never feel like big enough words.
More to Come
The first half of the month was simply a warm-up for the second half. Next week, many of the RISE staff and a few community volunteers will head to Lincoln’s Reception and Treatment Center to put on a Reentry Simulation for our current In-Prison Program Cohort there, facilitated by Dr. Tommy Moore. This exercise is merely meant to give a glimpse into what returning to the community can look like in terms of finances, appointments, travel, etc. While reentry cannot be fully replicated by a simulation, having a safe and controlled environment to unpack emotions and discuss reactions during different scenarios of the exercise has proven quite helpful for our participants.
Next week, we'll also be submitting the research completed by our volunteer researchers this week for our participants working on their business ideas! This was a “beta” online volunteering opportunity for our In-Prison Program, and from the looks of it, with a few tweaks, we’re thinking it might stick! We’ve received helpful feedback from volunteers so far and look forward to meeting with our online event team about it soon.
Jasmine Harris is hosting two forums, one in Omaha and one in Lincoln, to update the community on the criminal justice landscape in Nebraska.
RISE’s 2nd Annual Giving Day is Thursday, April 25th, and we need your help reaching our goal of raising $100,000 to support our after-prison programs and our mission of breaking generational cycles of incarceration.
Please join us for afternoon coffee during our Annual Giving Day at Urban Abbey for a little pick-me-up. We’ll be there from 12:00-1:30 p.m. to hang out, have conversation, and spread the word about the day. We’d love for you to join us.
We host a community coffee hour every Friday morning from 8:00-9:00 a.m. called RISE and Shine at Astute Coffee. This open house-style hour is a time for people to come by and learn more about the work we do, ask questions, meet staff, catch up, and learn how to get involved. All are welcome.
On Friday, May 3rd, the Tell All the Truth Project, UNO History, UNO English, and RISE are hosting an event to raise awareness about how to support incarcerated people as well as those returning home from prison. Students will showcase their creative work, from zines about resources for formerly incarcerated people to an exhibit comparing charity and assistance provided to incarcerated people in the Middle Ages to today.
