This message from Root and Rebound- a non-profit working on behalf of recently incarcerated persons and their families. If you are interested in their work or want to volunteer to help with their initiatives contact the Pro Bono Program today. Check out their work at: https://www.rootandrebound.org
Van was arrested for a felony when he was only 16. He served 25 years in prison. In 2019, he was released and found himself starting at square one. He was 41 years old. Van did not want to go back— but rebuilding his life while carrying the mark of a criminal record felt daunting. What’s more, Van faced the additional threat of deportation because he’d immigrated to the U.S with his family as a child. Shortly after returning home, Van was referred to Root & Rebound. We helped Van get his work permit so that he could provide for himself and his family. We also helped him prepare an application for a pardon which, if granted, would allow him to legally stay in the U.S. Today, he works full time as a policy organizer. For Van, R&R’s support and advocacy has made all the difference for his own confidence in reentry: “This is our world and this is our society and I contributed to it, so I have to help make it better.”
Van’s story is part of Root & Rebound’s Justice, Liberation, and Healing campaign that tells the story of three of our transformative work through the eyes of our clients, Andrew, Monica, and Van. Thanks to donors like you, we have been able to support 2,196 clientslike Andrew, Monica, and Van in 2020, provided financial support to 680+ familiesthrough our COVID-19 Client Support Fund, AND reached 5,500+ people across the country through our public education this year alone.
