RISE Graduates Volunteer
At RISE Academy we are building it a volunteer opportunity service for RISE Graduates who want to give back to the community! One of the recurring things we hear is, "I want to give back but nobody will give me a chance."
Did you know that many nonprofits disqualify people from volunteering (even churches) if they have a criminal history? RISE Graduates are truly committed and have such a deep desire to give back to the communities they return to. It’s not just part of their reentry, but it’s part of the healing process for them and the community they belong to.
Last week was only the beginning of this new level of reentry! Every graduate who volunteered was eager to do so and had been waiting for this chance!
Lead by new Reentry Manager, Aaron Pettes, and Community Navigator, Jason Kotas, this group helped empty a storage container for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lincoln (BBBS), which saved them money and time to help serve the kids they work with.
Our graduates moved furniture from their storage unit, loaded it into a U-Haul and took items to the Habitat for Humanity Restore. They disposed of loads of garbage, hauled files from the unit back to their office in Lincoln, and hauled everything up two flights of stairs (sans-elevator!). If there’s anything these guys can do, it’s heavy lifting with a smile, that’s for sure.
This volunteering opportunity was such a gift to our graduates...RISEing by lifting others.
Finding ways for RISE Graduates to volunteer within our own organization and others is an initiative at the top of our list for 2024. It’s not just good for the community and the soul, it’s good for job applications! In addition to this group volunteering with BBBS, we’ve had a group at the Open Door Mission, have had graduates volunteering for our Online Business Research opportunities for the In-Prison Program, and making calls to inform other graduates that they qualify to vote in the upcoming election after the passing of LB20.
If you have volunteering opportunities that would be great for RISE Graduates, send Aaron a message below!
