John -

Thank you for being an ARC ally—I am so proud of what we have accomplished with your support in 2021. I hope you will consider making a gift before this year comes to a close to set us up for success in the coming year.

Our 2021 highlights include:
 

• Expanding ARC’s Hope and Redemption Team (HART) in 31 state prisons, enabling us to serve 50,000 incarcerated people next year.
• Launching our first original audio podcast, “Free World.” Free World is produced and hosted by formerly incarcerated female ARC staff members and features staff, Members, and other community members sharing their stories to raise awareness of the harms of mass incarceration.
• Establishing our National Policy department, allowing us to take the best practices we’ve learned from our local and state policy work to the federal level, ensuring that those who are system-impacted are at the frontlines of this work and can speak directly to policymakers, legislators, and advocates to drive change.
• Providing much needed financial assistance to Members, who continue to be hit hard from the economic implications of the pandemic. We’re proud to say we distributed close to $40,000 to 52 Members in COVID relief funds, which supported them with everything from rental assistance to food.
• Graduating the 11th, 12th, and 13th cohorts of our Second Chance Pre-Apprenticeship program. We had 104 total enrollments in this program in 2012, with an 81% graduation rate. Through this program, we placed 56 people in union jobs in both Los Angeles and Orange Counties. 44 of these were full-time jobs and 12 were part-time.
• Writing over 500 parole and commutation support letters on behalf of our incarcerated community members, assisting in their quest to come home to their families. 
• Supplying over 800 Rides Home to people returning from incarceration through our Ride Home Program.

 
Thank you for standing beside us throughout this year, and thank you for considering making a gift to support our work. We’re proud to have you in our corner and I am excited about what is next on the horizon (keep an eye out for an email with exciting updates). With your generosity, I know we will be able to keep building a justice system that is more equitable, healing, and humane.