ReStart Denver

Hi! My name is Kara Burns and my project partners name is Cathy Woods. We were chosen as delegates for our local Dress for Success Affiliate this year and are excited to be implementing our Community Action Project which we are calling ReStart Denver. The purpose of our project is to assist women who have just been released from Federal Prison and are living in a Halfway House with a bag full of toiletry items and things that will make them feel cared about. We are also providing informal support for these ex-offenders through monthly meetings where we provide a speaker who has successfully re-entered society.

I was released from prison three years ago. The reason we chose this project is because being released from prison is a scary process. Receiving a bag with items I needed would have made me feel cared about. Hearing another woman speak about how she was able to change her life would have made a difference in my life. In my case, I was living with roommates who were selling meth and often came home drunk. They drove nice cars and always seemed to have money. There were no good role models for success and certainly no positive stories. In fact, 76% of women who are released from prison recidivate with in the first year of release according to a Bureau of Justice Recidivism Study. After living it, I believe that number to be true. This project will provide hope for women who want to change their lives.

We have a lofty goal of stuffing 30 bags full of toiletry items. We are trying to fundraise for gift cards so the women can buy their own undergarments and for other items like bus passes.

This is more than just a project to us! We plan to track the data and use it to get into more halfway houses in the Denver area.

Our project officially gets under way November of 2016 and runs through January of 2017.

We need the money by October 15, 2016 so we can finish getting the bags together. If you would rather donate items please visit our FB page for a list. ReStart Denver.

With appreciation,
Kara Burns and Cathy Woods