The Transformative Justice Center

"The Empathy in Action program changed us, and we will back it with what little we have." These are the words of a a small group of incarcerated men inside prison who just challenged the outside world to care as deeply about them as they care about us. It can take a lifetime to save $5,000 behind bars. And they are giving every dollar of it away — not for themselves, but for us. For this community. For healing that reaches beyond the walls. They have the least. They're giving first. Will you match the men who are matching you? WHAT THEY STARTED, WE CAN FINISH Incarcerated participants from our Empathy in Action program have put up a $5,000 matching gift challenge. Every donation you make this summer gets doubled — dollar for dollar — until we hit the goal. They believed in this work enough to sacrifice for it from behind prison walls. Now we’re asking the outside community to meet that kind of faith. WHAT YOUR GIFT BUILDS 📚 Books & Program Materials Books, journals, curriculum, and supplies for the Fall 2026 Empathy in Action cohort—bringing volunteers and incarcerated participants together for eight weeks of healing, reflection, and connection. 🤝 Empathy in Action Your gift helps us continue and grow a program that brings community members directly inside prison to build relationships, practice restorative justice, and create spaces for accountability, healing, and transformation. 🎭 Healing Through the Arts Support for our December live theater experience inside CTF, giving incarcerated participants opportunities for creativity, expression, connection, and being seen beyond their worst mistakes. 🏠 The Transformative Justice Center Help keep our community space open and thriving—a place where incarcerated voices, restorative justice, education, healing, and community come together. 🪷 The Lotus Market Help launch and grow our social-enterprise market featuring TJC merchandise, books, art and prints created by incarcerated people, and other meaningful goods—with proceeds supporting our programs and mission. 🌱 Growing the Movement Outreach, volunteer recruitment, community education, and the resources needed to bring Empathy in Action to more people and, ultimately, more prisons. Your gift doesn't just fund a program. It builds connection, dignity, opportunity, and a path toward transformation—on both sides of the prison walls. YOUR DOLLARS, DOUBLED $25 → $50 $100 → $200 $500 → $1,000 $2,250 → completes half the match $5,000 → unlocks the full challenge THIS IS WHAT TRANSFORMATION LOOKS LIKE What started as a single inside-out prison dialogue program has become a living bridge between the incarcerated and the public, between accountability and healing, between who we were and who we still have the capacity to become. The most powerful part? The people most changed by this work keep choosing to invest in it. That’s not a program. That’s a movement. Give today. Double your impact. Help us carry this work through the summer and beyond. P.S. Matching gifts don’t last forever. We have been given 7 days, until June 4. If you’ve been thinking about supporting this work, now is the moment your generosity counts twice. A few men with very little chose to give years of savings so this work could continue. Don’t let that go unanswered.

Thank you for your contribution to the Transformative Justice Center and Empathy in Action prison program! Enjoy your picture with Cain Velasquez and autograph!