October 5, 2007
Long Walk to Freedom
This Saturday @ 8AM, join the “Long Walk to Freedom” and experience the “virtual reality” of re-entry into society issues from the perspective of an inmate in the process of being released from jail.
From the announcement:
*Richmond, Virginia is among the top 100 metropolitan areas identified by the National Corrections Reporting Program as receiving the most returning non-violent prisoners
*Over 10,000 adult men and women are released from the Richmond City Jail each year.
*The cost of recidivism to the community is approximately $30,000 per person a year – plus the loss of a productive citizen’s income.
The need for effective solutions to aid men and women in rebuilding their lives has never been more critical. The purpose of this event is to educate the greater Richmond community about the challenges facing ex-offenders – challenges that not only impact the released prisoners, but ultimately have an effect on our community as a whole.
Long Walk to Freedom participants will experience the “virtual reality” of re-entry issues from the perspective of an inmate in the process of being released from jail. As walkers exit the Richmond City Jail the challenges begin as they attempt to answer the following questions:
• How and where do I eat and sleep?
• How do I get a job and/or training for a job?
• How do I cope with the broken relationships I left behind?
• How do I recover from self-destructive habits?
• How do I become part of a productive, law-abiding community?
• And the question underlying all the others: Who Cares?Along the way, walkers will encounter the ‘challenges’ former inmates face and the community resource representatives or “solution providers”. Stations along the walk will represent the barriers and solutions related to inmate reentry such as housing, food ,self-esteem, emotional competency, addiction, recovery, transportation, employment, relationships and community support, which negatively impacts Richmond residents, visitors and businesses and opportunities to get involved and make a difference.
Please join the “Long Walk to Freedom”, Saturday October 6, 2007 8am – noon, at the Richmond City Jail (Oliver Hill Way) where the walk route begins.(The walk route will end at Freedom House’s Conrad Center)PARKING: Available to all at the Court Building at 1600 Oliver Hill Way across from the Richmond City Jail.
Walk schedule:
7:30 Registration
8:00 Opening Ceremonies
8:30 Speaker - Richmond City Police Chief Monroe
Walk begins
11:00 Closing CeremoniesMap and further details are posted at www.longwalktofreedom.org.
Please note that no pets, bicycles or skateboards will be permitted.
Walk Registration & Donations:
Registration donations may be designated to the solution provider of your choice. All donations are tax deductible. Boaz & Ruth, Inc., a 501 c 3 organization, is acting as fiscal agent for Long Walk to Freedom.
DONATIONS CAN BE MADE ONLINE OR AT THE REGISTRATION TABLES
ALL ONLINE REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER 5, 2007
Registration Donations may be made Credit Card or Paypal at:
www.longwalktofreedom.org
Leave a Comment