Work For The Change You Want To See
Greetings Reuse Fans,
Looks like we are in for a wild weekend in the Burgh! Lots of predicted snow on Friday night and Saturday, big Steelers game on Sunday, and CJ is closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King’s birthday. So we will likely not see as many of you in the next few days as we would like, but until you make back into the store again please stay safe, go Stillers, and reflect and honor the contributions Dr. King made to this country’s continuous march to racial equality in whatever way is the most meaningful to you.
It is safe to assume that if Dr. King were alive today he would be highlighting programs that work to address the challenges of people of all races re-entering society after being released from incarceration. The problem is alarming. In the US 650,000 people come out of prison every year. Three quarters are re-arrested in five years and their job retention rate is 10%.
At CJ, we are always interested in programs that work with reuse to create employment opportunities in all communities. From our Goodwill program for people with disabilities, to our Project RE_ partnership with the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh’s training program for people re-entering society after incarceration, CJ is committed to exploring impactful ways reuse can play a role in creating economic opportunity and encourage resource conservation.
This week I was introduced to an inspiring project called Refoundry, a nonprofit start-up that assists people with criminal records start their own businesses. The process starts with people released from incarceration going through a paid training program to repurpose used furniture. I hope you will take a moment to read more about this program. You can see their video here, and the project founder was even featured in Forbes magazine.
There’s more information on the Project RE_ partnership in a Project RE_ video and on the website of the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh.
Stay tuned for updates on the exciting work of Project RE_ in the coming year.
