Third Quarter Updates from RISE
A Message From Jeremy Bouman
RISE CEO & Founder
Greetings RISE Friends and Supporters:
As RISE completes our fourth year of doing reentry work in Nebraska prisons and communities, we’ve reached an inflection point that requires a measured response and strategic investment from you, our volunteers and supporters.
Our vision is bold; that ALL people will find freedom from cycles of incarceration. The impact of the RISE intervention even in the short time of our existence has shown us what is possible when people navigating reentry encounter a supportive community both pre-and post–release. The opportunities become real and tangible, and transformation for individuals, families and communities are in our grasp.
We have a clear roadmap for the next three years that includes doubling down on the depth and breadth of reentry programming and services we offer; mobilizing state-wide bail reform efforts; building a profitable social enterprise that trains and employs RISE graduates; improving our small business accelerator program that exclusively serves system-impacted entrepreneurs; and improving our curriculum while translating it to technology that will expand our reach to serve more people and systems in the future.
RISE has been blessed with generous foundation and corporate support up to this point. This will continue to be an irreplaceable portion of our revenue, but we must diversify our funding to sustain the organization into the future and meet the challenges and goals in front of us.
This year, RISE received some state funding for the first time through the Vocational and Life Skills Grant which focuses on reentry and employment in Nebraska. We also were awarded a federal PPP loan and DHHS dollars that have allowed us to help our released grads meet their immediate needs during this pandemic, like rent support, utilities, food, transportation, medical bills and mental healthcare.
The long-term income picture must include public and private support, revenue from social enterprise, and an increase in consistent individual giving through monthly support.
That is where you come in.
•••
RISE is asking for 200 people to become monthly donors
and join our RISE Anchor Group.
I am personally asking you to please consider becoming
a monthly donor to RISE, and join this important group providing reliable, sustainable income towards our work.
•••
An anchor represents a safe place for a person navigating incarceration and reentry, and symbolizes stability and security. Your monthly donation to RISE and partnership as a RISE Anchor Group member will provide program continuity for our Builders, improve public safety, build wealth for families, and stop generational cycles of incarceration.
Please visit the RISE Anchor Group webpage here to set up your monthly donation at your desired amount. We plan to convene this group twice a year for in depth RISE updates and unique engagement opportunities.
Become an Anchor for our Builders, providing the strong foundation they need to be successful. Thanks for your continued support of RISE and our Builders.
Join the RISE Anchor Group now!
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Policy & Advocacy
By Jasmine L. Harris, MPH, CHES
Director of Policy & Advocacy
Quarter 3 for Policy & Advocacy at RISE has been an interesting ride. This year called for the legislative session to be suspended in March and reconvened in July. The last 17 days at the legislature this quarter were very intense, but overall, we made connections with senators and their staff to continue to look forward to working in the 2021 legislative session.
As America is dealing with COVID-19, civil unrest and a great political division, we would be remiss to not mention that 2020 is an historical election year. Elections are important especially because the elected officials’ duties will include enacting policies that affect people who are currently and formerly incarcerated. Voting in elections can play a role in how we advance bail reform in our state to how employers can receive tax credits for hiring people who were formerly incarcerated. A lot of times, we just have to remember how important our vote is.
For many of us, the right to vote is something that we may not give a second thought to. We just go and do it. One of the foundational bricks of policy and advocacy is empowerment and having the right to vote is one of the most empowering activities a person can participate in. This is not the case for the Builders we serve as they face felony disenfranchisement when returning to communities after incarceration. Felony disenfranchisement is the process of depriving people with felony convictions the right to vote.
These laws vary by state and can range from having the right to vote while incarcerated to permanently losing the right to vote. According to The Sentencing Project, in 2016, 6.1 million Americans did not have their right to vote due to felony disenfranchisement laws.
Even with Nebraska’s indefinite ban on voting rights being overturned in 2005, it was estimated that there were still over 17,000 Nebraskans impacted by felony disenfranchisement. The indefinite ban was reduced to a two-year post-supervision waiting period, which means that people coming out of incarceration automatically gain their right to vote two years after completing all sentence requirements including parole or probation.
Here are some more voting rights facts in Nebraska for people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system:
- People waiting in jail for release or trial can vote! This means people without a prior felony conviction or who have finished their 2 year waiting period can request a voting ballot while they are in jail.
- People who were arrested, awaiting trial, convicted of or on probation for a misdemeanor can vote! This means that misdemeanors like citations and traffic tickets do NOT take away the right to vote.
- When a person completes their 2 year waiting period after finishing their sentence requirements, they do NOT need documentation to prove their legal right to vote! This means just REGISTER and VOTE!
- If you have any questions about your right to vote, contact our office and the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy will be able to help you out.
Don’t forget, the deadline to register to vote is Friday, October 16th (online/by mail) or Friday, October 23rd in person. You can register HERE.
Also, request your early vote by mail ballot by Friday, October 23rd HERE.
And if you want to vote in person, the general election is Tuesday, November 3rd. Check your voter registration information HERE.
By The Numbers
440
Graduates reside in correctional facilities and communities throughout the states.
90%
of RISE graduates currently residing in the community are employed with a median wage of $14 per hour (average wage of $15 per hour).
The RISE Alumni Associate is a family-like network of over
170
graduates residing throughout the state available to provide support and friendships.
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3rd Quarter Reentry
By Erica Pieper, MSW
Reentry Supervisor
Our Immediate Needs:
• Background-friendly landlords across the state of Nebraska. In particular, in:
• Omaha
• Lincoln
• Grand Island
• Hastings
• York
• Employment positions in admin rolls across the state. We currently have at least 3 Builders with extensive clerical experience, but are unable to find employment due to background.
Do you or someone you know need a secretary and want to be a part of a really great second chance? Email Erica!
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In Prison Programming Continues to Pivot in 3rd Quarter
By Maria Moreno
In Prison Program Manager
As we wrap up another quarter during the ongoing health pandemic and settle in to what is our “new normal” (for now), we have continued to flex and be creative in the deployment of the RISE program. During the month of August, volunteer judges were able to watch and provide feedback to Builders on their pitches using a combination of pre-recorded and Zoom sessions.
On September 1st, RISE held their first ever “virtual” graduation at the Omaha Correctional Center – utilizing Zoom, volunteers were able to virtually join the classroom and cheer on our Builders as they completed the program and received a Certificate in Employment Readiness from the University of Nebraska’s College of Business.
During this time, RISE Builders have had an opportunity to put their skills to practice – they’ve learned to pivot, advocate for themselves, and build a learning space that meets their needs. In the upcoming quarter, Peer Facilitators at NCCW are developing a job fair-like event, NSP and LCC will be graduating, and new cohorts will be kicking off at Tecumseh, OCC, and our newest facility: working with women at Community Corrections in Lincoln!
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6 Months of Mentorship
By Jaxson Schneider
Mentor Coordinator
After its first six-months, the RISE Reentry Mentor Program is celebrating the completion of some of its first relationships. In all honesty, we were uncertain how successful this program would be when we launched it back in February. We didn't have answers to many of our most pressing questions: Will people actually be interested in working with a mentor? Will mentors and graduates keep meeting and checking in after three months? Will people form real, lasting relationships?
Now we know that, yes, mentors and graduates can work together for six-months and the relationships formed can be real and lasting. In fact, several of our pairings are continuing beyond the prescribed six-month period
This program will continue to find its footing as time goes on, but the fact that a few of our program graduates and mentors voluntarily and regularly met for six months is humbling. Because of them we have a much better understanding of what variables contribute to successful mentoring as well as greater motivation to continue pushing forward with this program. In short, now we know mentoring can work and what it takes to make it work.
Aside from some of our early mentor-mentee relationships coming to a close, we've been humbled by RISE volunteer community support. We have more certified mentors than we know what to do with and that is both a testament to our volunteer community and a great problem to have.
Our next training date is still being finalized but is slotted for the end of October or the beginning of November. If interested in being part of this program, please email Jaxson Schneider (jschneider@seeusrise.org) for more information.
190 Volunteers in 3rd Quarter
By Chantal Randall
Volunteer Relations Manager
• RISE Modified Events are creating quite the buzz and are in high demand amidst volunteer pandemic restrictions put in place by corporations and universities. Our events are giving people from all over the world the opportunity to stay involved and give back without the fear of putting anyone's health at risk
• During the past quarter, RISE has had the pleasure of hosting virtual Lunch and Learns with Bank of the West and three Creighton classes. During one such class, RISE held a virtual event where graduate students reviewed resumes for women currently residing at CCC-L . Thanks to the feedback provided by the students, the women will have employer ready resumes as they prepare for job-seek and release!
• 32 Creighton Students and Faculty volunteered in our most recent Modified Coaching Day for the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women.
• Bank of the West is excited to invite 100+ employees to volunteer for modified events in the Fall!
• RISE tried and true volunteers are also continuing to show up and show out! About 190 volunteers shared their time and talents with RISE Builders during the past 3 months thru Modified Coaching Days, Modified Deep Dives, and Modified Business Pitch Competitions!
RISE Graduate Advice:
"Surround yourself with a community that will push you and challenge you to grow." - David
"Put your knowledge of time management to use because the world out here moves fast." - Juan
"Thanks to RISE, in an 8-month period we are at 783 customers strong, steady, and overworked - but it's been worth the journey RISE has given me personally and for my family. They have help me provide for my family in a positive way and know they are taken care of the next couple of decades I am gone, but to know I did it the right way, RISE and the change it has caused in me personally - I would change it for nothing."
- 2020 RISE Graduate
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