RISE Academy Celebrates New Lincoln Office

Written By McKenzie Ring
Lincoln, Nebraska RISE Reentry office view from 9th street in Lincoln

RISE is pleased to announce the opening of a new Lincoln-based reentry office in the old Lincoln Literacy Building located at 745 S. 9th Street. RISE will host an open house event for the community on Friday, October 6th from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM with a ribbon cutting at 3:15 PM and remarks from RISE Board Member and Lincoln resident, Ava Thomas at 3:30 PM.

320 RISE In-Prison Program graduates reside in Lincoln-based facilities and 28% of RISE graduates live in Lincoln communities. Additionally, 33% of RISE Business Academy graduates own and operate small businesses in the area.

“RISE has offered life-changing programs in three Lincoln prisons since 2017, and as more of our program graduates return to the Lincoln community to live and work we knew we needed a place to welcome them home and support every step of their reentry journey. Our building will offer returning citizens a safe place to receive services that increase reentry success including restorative programs for system-impacted youth and families, employment support, case management, trauma groups, and peer support.” says RISE CEO, Jeremy Bouman.

RISE has over six hundred program graduates inside the Nebraska prison system with 89% of those released being employed. 

About RISE: RISE is the largest nonprofit organization in Nebraska focused solely on habilitative programming in prisons and reentry support. At RISE, transformation starts pre-release and continues post-release. This inside/out model bridges incarceration to the community and considers all the critical steps in that journey.

RISE prepares and trains people for each phase through intensive character development, employment readiness, job creation through entrepreneurship, family programming and case management. RISE transforms people in the community by building awareness and empathy leading to support and opportunity.  These connections heal families, create employment pathways and lower recidivism.

McKenzie Ring

McKenzie Ring has over 20 years of experience helping businesses and organizations reach maximum audiences for growth. Specializing in social responsibility, digital marketing, photography, and content creation, McKenzie uses that experience to educate the public and grow a network of volunteers, donors, employers, and support for people returning to the community after incarceration.

Specializing and trained in documentary-based work, McKenzie has been an award-winning Midwest photographer and content creator for much of her professional life. She is passionate about bridging unlikely communities and building empathy through storytelling.

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