Dear John,

On Tuesday, I wrote to you and shared the moving story of Aaron Franklin, one of my friends and an ARC Member. I believe that sharing stories of those who are formerly incarcerated, like myself and 75% of ARC staff members, is how we’ll be most able to effectively drive change. On a similar note, I want you to continue hearing about ARC’s impact first-hand from another one of our formerly incarcerated Members -- Jose Norrington. Jose is both an inspiring Member and ARC staff and he has personally experienced the benefits of many of our services since his release. I’m so proud of him and know you will be too. As you read his story below, I hope it will inspire you to support our work ([link removed]) .

John ([link removed]) , will you consider making a gift in Jose’s honor today so that we can continue to provide these essential services to our formerly incarcerated community? ([link removed])

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Jose served 15 years in prison and was released on February 3, 2021. In these last ten months in the “free world”, he has been committed to creating a new life for himself. Jose first heard about ARC in 2017, when he was still incarcerated:

“I met an ARC Member and he explained to me that there was a place where I could nurture my ideas and go to for help when I needed advice on how to navigate the system. He pointed me to the direction of ARC, gave me an address, and told me I could write to them and ask for help in getting released. At the time, I didn’t think I would ever make it out.”

When he came home, Jose participated in ARC’s Ride Home, a program in which formerly incarcerated volunteers pick up people upon release and offer them a hot meal, some basic essentials, and a safe ride home from incarceration.

“Having someone who was formerly incarcerated pick me up when I was released was so meaningful--we immediately hit it off and I felt at ease. [Carlos] reassured me that with ARC’s help, I would accomplish my goals.... That ride home allowed me to see that more is possible, and more can be done--my reality is not limited to the life I lived so far. Now that I’m an ARC staff member, it galvanized me to start offering rides home for others too. It’s nice to be able to give back and help people in the way that I was helped.”

The Ride Home program exemplifies what’s best about our member-designed and member-led model; I am a firm believer that those closest to the problems are those closest to the solutions, and Jose is a prime example of that.

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I’m proud to say that Jose started off as a front-desk intern at our ARC Los Angeles office and was recently hired as a full-time Development Coordinator on our development team.

“The best thing about working at ARC is that everyone understands where I come from. People who work at the ARC office understand that formerly incarcerated people have to adjust to office settings, and they’re mindful and patient of that fact.”


While I have the honor of serving as Executive Director now, I still consider myself to be first and foremost an ARC Member. Like Jose, I too have benefitted from my support system at ARC and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to pay it forward now.

However, we couldn’t accomplish our mission without your support, John. On behalf of Jose, our staff, and our Membership we deeply appreciate your generosity. Thank you for considering a gift to ARC as 2021 comes to a close ([link removed]) .

DONATE NOW ([link removed])


Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy, peaceful holiday season.

Sincerely,
Sam Lewis
Executive Director

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