2007
IN ARMS REACH, INC.
CELEBRITY CHARITY FUNDRAISER GALA
Celebrating Our 5th Year of Saving Lives
Promoting Academic Achievement and Mentoring
for Children of Incarcerated Parents
Tonight in the U.S. 2.5 million children will go to bed denied access to their parent because that parent is in prison.
In Arms Reach Dinner/Fundraiser was held on November 29th, 2007 and was a huge success. See pics of live performance from Atlantic Records R&B artist, Trey Songz and others.
EVENT CONCEPT
This was our first annual star-studded, high profile dinner/ fundraiser for In Arms Reach (IAR): Parent Behind Bars: Children in Crisis. IAR is a not-for-profit community-based organization which provides tutoring and mentoring services to the children of incarcerated parents.
The event was hosted in the Great Hall of City College on November 29th, 2007 @ 6:00PM. All ticket purchases and sponsorships are tax-deductible. This dinner/fundraiser was a high-energy cocktail reception, "red carpet" roll out that focused on In Arms Reach core mission. Proceeds went towards providing full-time mentoring leadership and program services for youth in the In Arms Reach program. II. Expanded Program for FY08
Educational Services:
The goal of In Arms Reach Educational Services is to enable participants to have a noticeable improvement in reading and math. Each child has an individual tutor.
Community Service Projects:
Children of Incarcerated Parents are highly encouraged to participate in community service projects.
Support Services:
“On Call†Social Workers & Social Workers interns are on-site as Case Managers.
Letter Writing, Prison Visitation & Tele-visiting Services:
80% of In Arms Reach children have increased communication with their incarcerated parents.
Support Groups:
Support groups serve as forums for youth to address problems they face. Whereas, 100% of In Arms Reach children have a “platform amongst peers to vent†their emotional feelings.
ABOUT IN ARMS REACH:
PARENTS BEHIND BARS: CHILDREN IN CRISIS
Our Agency was founded in 2001. We are a community-based non-profit 501 c 3 organization located in the historic gothic quadrangle of the City College of New York (CCNY). The renovation of the building’s historic façade is richly decorated with gargoyles and houses state-of- the-art electronic teaching capabilities in a number of classrooms, small-group seminar rooms and multidisciplinary teaching facilities, which help to foster the social and academic development for children of incarcerated parents.
Through supporters, program space was obtained in the historic gothic quadrangle of The City College of New York. This is our home where we developed a unique program model that empowers children by giving them positive role models and quality academic assistance. In Arms Reach, Inc. addresses root causes of crime, low self-esteem and emotionally functionality via providing on site one-on-one and group counseling sessions.
Since its inception, IAR has offered youth with an alternative to the lures of the street. They have provided over 4,450 hours of tutoring services, hundreds of after-school mentoring sessions, and dozens of free trips to prison facilities for children to reunite with their incarcerated parents.
IAR cannot continue its effort alone and needs supporters like you who can help leverage IAR in-kind donations with financial support.
Thank you,
Terrence "T-Wheels" Stevens
Executive Director
Carl Banks, NFL Legend
Chairman
Conclusion:
Thanking supporters for their commitment to In Arms Reach.
We are a proven intervention model and it’s time to expand to help more kids.
With additional funding for program services and educational leadership we will increase the number of kids we serve by at least 45%.
JOHN FORTE (Grammy-nominated singer, song writer and producer) COLLABORATION:
After a much talked about meeting, T-Wheels teamed up with John Forte, a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer from Brooklyn, New York. A graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, Forte is a classically-trained violinist who is known for his work with the multi-platinum group “The Fugeesâ€.John Forte formed a mentoring thru Music project that Forte teaches at the City College University. Forte hopes that the catharsis of song composition will help children deal with the stigma of having a family member who is incarcerated and rebuild the spirit of those who have been traumatized or abandoned. The talented rapper will be talking to students from a point of experience.
Forte supporters include famed singer/songwriter Carly Simon and Senator Orrin Hatch (R) of Utah. Forte released two solo albums, PolySci (Columbia) and I, John (Transparent). In addition to working on his album, Forte is a contributor to The Daily Beast and Currently working directly with at-risk youth through "In Arms Reach, Inc." In Arms Reach & the John Forte music project is a wonderful collaboration which came to reality as planned.
Now a growing movement in the not-for-profit world!
Our Executive Director
Terrence "T-Wheels" Stevens is wheelchair confined, virtually paralyzed from the neck down and carries a serious mission on his shoulders. Children of incarcerated parents who face some of life's hardest challenges, including poverty, limited opportunities for a good education, and a future that seem to hold little to no promise.
T-Wheels addresses social problems in urban communities and the break up of families caught up in this cycle. Through his determination, he provides children of incarcerated parents with the love, guidance and mechanism for healing they so desperately need. In 2002 he began picking up children in a handicapped accessible van to keep the kids off the street. He later landed weekend program space with a friend at a local community center. As the number of kids increased, he fund raised to purchase a 15 passenger van. He scheduled field trips to recording sessions in NYC at the Hit Factory, took children to amusement parks and celebrity functions.
Moreover, when a child living with her grandmother ran away, it was he who the grandparent phoned. T-Wheels gathered friends, searched the streets, found the child and return her home. In 2006 when his handicapped accessible van transmission caught fire and burned down. He had a friend lift him out of his wheelchair, into a vehicle and played Santa Clause delivering toys and food stuff gift boxes to over 40 families in his urban community. Presently, In Arms Reach, Inc./JOHN FORTE are transporting children and families of the incarcerated via limousine (courtesy of Rapper Fat Joe, a senior record executive and a car dealership mogul), free of charge, to various upstate prison to reunite with their incarcerated love ones. See, www.inarmsreach.net
“T-Wheels†appeared on CNN, RNN, NBC, ABC, Channel 9 UPN news, 98.7 Kiss FM and Court TV Cathleen Crier with Russell Simmons and Dr. Ben Chavis. He was invited by the Governor’s office to the signing of new Legislation of the Rockefeller drug laws at the State Capitol. To date, on site program visits have been made by several Recording artists, NFL Legend Carl Banks and special visits by Bill Cosby, Jason Flom, Peter Greer, the late Ronnie Johnson, and Trey Songz and many others.
IN ARMS REACH, INC., in collaboration with Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Educaion is a non-profit art, music, FREE prison visitation and educational mentoring organization that services children whose parents are or were formerly offenders of the criminal justice system.
IN ARMS REACH/JOHN FORTE "THE MOVEMENT"
Empowers a child by giving him or her academic assistance with qualified mentors, the opportunity to develop new skills and realize their full potential.
OBJECTIVE
IN ARMS REACH/JOHN FORTE focuses on reinforcing positive behavior, decreasing emotional withdrawal by nurturing self-confidence and creative skills. We aim to prepare each child for admission to college so that they may lead productive, crime-free lives. We engage and motivate prison officials and parents to become our partner to realize the effect incarceration has on children. We also aim to give imprisoned parents the strength to better themselves through our commitment to serving their children.
POPULATION
Must be New York City residents between the ages of 6 and 21 with a parent who is currently or has previously served a prison sentence.
IN ARMS REACH/JOHN FORTE recruits through after-school programs, group homes; foster care agencies, NYS and federal prisons, community-based youth and social service organizations. Members are required to attend regularly and present their report cards in order to remain in the program.
For more information, visit
www.inarmsreach.net
www.abandonednation.com