John,

We were just kids in 1989 when the five of us were wrongfully convicted of an assault and rape that occurred in New York City’s Central Park. Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise, and I had our lives changed forever because of a crime someone else committed.

It has been 20 years since we were cleared and exonerated of all charges, and still not a day goes by that I’m not grateful for the freedom I have — especially during special times like the holidays. Getting to spend time with my loved ones and celebrate together is something I never take for granted because I know how easily it can be ripped away.

Right now, I know there are so many more innocent people behind bars, missing their families during the holidays — I know because 30 years ago, I was one of them. That's why I’m personally reaching out today.

The Innocence Project’s biggest fundraising deadline of the year is right around the corner, and I want to make sure they have all the resources they need to fight for the wrongfully convicted people who can’t spend these precious days with their loved ones. Please make a donation today to support their mission. It would mean a great deal.

Going to prison at 16 and then being released on parole at 23 meant that I spent some of my most formative years behind bars. I missed out on many teenage and young adult milestones that my peers experienced — things like attending prom, graduating high school, and looking toward my future career. Even mundane things like doing chores around the house, spending time with friends on weekends, and having the autonomy to do what I wanted, when I wanted, were taken away from me.

Unfortunately, there are far too many stories like ours, and without organizations like the Innocence Project, the people in these stories would go without justice. They need support from people like you in order to keep growing their work and helping more innocent people.

Would you please make a holiday donation to help them reach their end-of-year fundraising goal so they can continue to fight for wrongly convicted people like me?

Happy holidays, and thank you so much for your support,

Kevin Richardson
Exonerated in 2002