Become a volunteer

My typical reply is, “That is exactly what we are looking for! Understand that the individuals we serve in many ways have no idea how to live a ”normal life” for lack of a better term.” You might think your everyday life is boring or routine, but it is absolutely fascinating to people like me coming out of incarceration! Really the only thing you can do wrong is to not do anything.

Now imagine being dropped off in the middle of a high-security prison, surrounded by 1200 convicts, and your only instruction was “Good luck!” It is literally just as unimaginable for some individuals coming home from incarceration. The men graduating from our classes want something better for their lives and families. You can be a huge part of helping them on that journey and navigating those obstacles by simply being you.

A day of volunteering with us looks something like this:
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· Going out to lunch with one of our graduates to just listen and give some advice
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· Providing transportation for trips to the DMV, Job Interview, Social Security office, or even just a trip to Walmart to get some necessities
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· Sitting down and showing someone how to operate a smartphone, Fill Out an Application, Set up an email account, or helping someone open a bank account at a local bank branch

These tasks all sound simple, correct? I can promise you if you have never done them, it’s quite daunting. Overall establishing these individuals in our local community is vital to their success. Having a sense of belonging was critical for me upon my release and I am forever grateful for those individuals who helped me feel like a person and no longer a number.