Ronald McKeithen was freed from prison after being sentenced to life without parole in 1984 for convictions that would result in a 3–5-year sentence today. He served nearly 40 years.

In 2021, with the support of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), Raven McDowell regained custody of her son, Rayon. Currently working and going to school full-time, Raven is now reunited with her beautiful 6-year-old son after she survived youth incarceration, addiction, and housing instability.

As part of the National Bail Fund Network, Elisabeth Epps and the Colorado Freedom Fund have been able to bring over 1,000 people home, keeping families & communities together and upholding the right to pretrial freedom.

"When you join Gideon's Promise you become part of a community, a network that supports each other in the fight against injustice, inequality, prejudice, and racism." – John Allicock, Gideon's Promise Public Defender, Texas

Years after Dalisa completed the sentence for her first and only criminal charge, she still had trouble finding stable employment. With the help of Just City, her record was finally cleared, and her career took off. Today she is a hard-working entrepreneur, and her family is financially secure.

In 2019, Montrell Carmouche was released from federal prison after serving 19 years. In 2020, she became the Director of the Safety and Freedom Fund. In 2021, with the support of the LOHM, Montrell refined her lobbying and advocacy skills, advancing her work to end cash bail in New Orleans.

With the advocacy of OJRC's Women's Justice Project, Laurie Price received life-saving medical treatment after previously being denied services while in prison. With ORJC's continued support, she has not only gone from homelessness to stable housing, but she also continues to thrive and advocate for herself and others.

Tracey C used an auto title loan in a desperate moment and lost her car after paying thousands in fees. Texas Appleseed worked with Tracey to fight back against abusive payday and auto title lenders and get her car back.

VOTE member Gregory Finney was voiceless when he attempted to register to vote after being on parole. He got his rights restored in 2020. During the 2021 election, he was invaluable to VOTE's efforts, doing outreach at local barbershops, businesses, and second-line parades. He helped train canvassers and told his story to people unsure about voting.

Jah'Son was 13 when his mother turned to Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence in Philadelphia, PA in search of a positive male role model and mentor. That's when Jah'Son first met Reginald. Together, Little Brother Jah'son (now 15) and Big Brother Reginald are empowering Jah'Son's confidence, decision making, and educational success.

Denieka has spent years building brighter paths for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington through social reform. In 2021, she established safe spaces for youth to discuss feelings of social injustice and community violence. Many teens felt their lives didn't matter. She's showing them how much they do.

Diego Moran's transformative 8-year Breakthrough Miami journey has come full circle. As a 5th Grade Scholar, Diego was inspired and mentored for success by his Teaching Fellows. As a 12th grader, empowered by the Breakthrough leadership model, Diego is prepared for his college pathway and leading instruction and mentoring the next generation of Scholars as a Teaching Fellow.

City Year has inspired me to continue my education and pursue a master's degree in Academic Counseling. I want to continue supporting students in their education journey and career aspirations.

Barry Howard attended the 2021 CLEO Pre-Law Summer Institute. The knowledge and skills he gained helped propel him to Penn State Dickinson Law School. For more than 50 years, CLEO has helped future leaders like Barry pursue their dreams of becoming an attorney.

The King Center's Students with King Reading Center initiative inspired DeKalb Preparatory Academy educator, Ms. Melba Smith, to encourage 350 elementary students to respect diversity of others while improving reading skills.

Inspire Change grant funds were dispersed as pass-through grants to 8 MENTOR affiliates across the country to support innovative local mentoring initiatives aimed at addressing systematic inequities in their local communities tied to education and economic empowerment.

Jacob is the Founding Leader of U.S. Dream Academy's latest project, The Scott Street Youth Institute. This project is a youth-led initiative in Houston, TX that supports justice and healing through community organizing and empower youth to find their purpose.

Formerly homeless returning citizen, criminal justice reform advocate, and author, Desmond led a grassroots campaign to get Florida's Amendment 4 on the ballot. Its passage reestablished voting rights for 1.4M returning citizens. Support from UNCF and Florida Memorial University garnered 1,000 student pledges through Desmond's "Ready Set Vote!" HBCU Bus Tour.

The United Way of Greater LA works with organizations across LA County to help our most vulnerable neighbors find stability, safety, and housing, like PATH. Janeth Ventura from PATH jumped into action, setting up the first Project Roomkey during the pandemic, the hotels that shelters their unhoused. She embodies the "whatever it takes approach," making a difference each day.

AEO works to create economic opportunity for Black businesses and entrepreneurs such as CaTyra Polland and her book editing boutique, Love For Words. Love For Words offers scholarship support for high school student in Rochester, in addition to donating dozens of books to local organizations and businesses.

Aaron was a resident at Covenant House Missouri for 11 months during which time he took up coding courses in preparation for a career in tech. His passion for technology eventually led to an apprenticeship with a tech firm, which ultimately led to a full-time associate software engineering role. Today he lives in his own stable apartment.

Samantha Tyus Hill's dream of becoming a homeowner quickly accelerated after giving birth prematurely amid battling COVID-19. For months, she worked alongside the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. In May 2021, her family closed on a home and welcomed her newborn daughter home from the NICU.

In 2021, I reached financial rock bottom. Operation HOPE helped me reestablish my life, stay debt free, and build financial wealth so that I may leave a powerful legacy of faith, determination, and commitment for my children.

Neely N. transitioned from working as a teacher and doing other retail and admin jobs to a career as a Software Engineer at a global asset manager following her tuition-free tech training at Per Scholas. Neely hopes to continue her tech learning and eventually create opportunities for people of color in tech.

Eric Rosario and Karen Yearwood, with support from the Center for Policing Equity, lead a diverse working group comprised of community groups and members of the Ithaca, NY Police Department, in a first-of-its-kind effort to reimagine public safety.

Bo Deal, Field Manager of Street Outreach Workers at Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, collaborated with area rap artists to decrease significant citywide tensions in 2021 through their PEACE social media campaign. As a credible community messenger, Bo created unity across Chicago.

With the support of Emancipate NC and the Vera Institute of Justice, Jatoia Potts went from being incarcerated to leading work to end mass incarceration across urban and rural North Carolina. She's working to eliminate money bail and divert people from jail.