<div><strong>Help Save Empathy in Action &amp; The Transformative Justice Center:</strong>
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<div><em>Transforming prisons through human connection and compassion</em>
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<div><strong>Without immediate help, both the Center and Empathy in Action are at risk of closing.</strong>
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<div>Every dollar brings us closer to freedom—not just for those incarcerated, but for all of us learning to see beyond the bars.
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<div><strong>The Crisis I'm Facing:</strong>
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<div>To bridge the next three to four months, I am carrying the full responsibility of sustaining the program: keeping the center’s doors open, covering required CDCR fees, insurance, accounting, outreach, and operational costs, and continuing to support my own family as I do this work full-time. To do this with integrity, I need approximately $20,000 per month during this short season.
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<div>Support at this moment would not only stabilize the program — it would quite literally save it.
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<div><strong>Who Am I?</strong>
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<div>My name is Megan McDrew, founder of the <a href="https://www.transformativejusticecenter.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Transformative Justice Center</em></a> (TJC) and creator of <a href="https://www.transformativejusticecenter.org/aboutempathyinaction" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Empathy in Action prison program</a>. I’m a single mom of two beautiful children, a triathlete, yogi, sociology professor, and a fierce believer in the power of love and forgiveness. I also need your help. 
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<div>For twelve years, I’ve been going inside California state prisons—first as a San Quentin volunteer, then as a sociology professor inside Salinas Valley State Prison and CTF Soledad. For the last 5 years, I’ve been spending time with those serving time through <a href="https://www.transformativejusticecenter.org/aboutempathyinaction" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Empathy in Action</a>, a program that brings <strong>30–40 members of the public inside CTF Soledad prison</strong> every week to sit in dialogue with incarcerated men. I believe that if we can change the way we see people in prison, we can change the world.
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<div>A Brother in Blue shared that, “Empathy in Action has helped me reconnect with the man I was before the trauma and the mistakes. I’ve done a lot of time—but nothing has made me feel more free than the time I’ve dedicated to this program.”
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<div>I created the <a href="https://www.transformativejusticecenter.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Transformative Justice Center</a> (TJC)—the first space in the nation dedicated to highlighting and exploring the lives of people in prison and the potential for transformation through radical empathy and connection.
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<div>Inside the Center, <strong>visitors can step into a life-size 6x9 prison cell replica</strong>, walk through art exhibits created by incarcerated men and women, and learn about all the programs we offer in prison and for those returning to society.
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<div><strong>What I Offer:</strong>
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<div><a href="https://www.transformativejusticecenter.org/aboutempathyinaction" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Empathy in Action</strong></a> – 8-week healing dialogues inside prison where volunteers and incarcerated people sit face-to-face to build understanding, accountability, and hope.
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<div><a href="https://www.transformativejusticecenter.org/what-we-offer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Yoga &amp; Healing Circles</strong></a> – Inside CTF Soledad, I volunteer to teach weekly yoga and host monthly trauma-informed healing workshops, often including restorative yoga, sound healing, meditation, and holotropic breathwork led by UFC fighter Cain Velasquez.
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<div><a href="https://www.transformativejusticecenter.org/what-we-offer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Transition with Purpose</strong></a> – A re-entry employment and mentorship initiative supporting people as they return home.
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<div><a href="https://www.transformativejusticecenter.org/what-we-offer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Prison Tours &amp; Education</strong></a> – We invite the public into correctional facilities to experience transformation firsthand and change the narrative about who’s inside.
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<div><a href="https://www.transformativejusticecenter.org/program-dates" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Incarcerated Women's Program</strong></a> – Bringing Empathy in Action to incarcerated women at the 2nd largest female prison in the nation - CCWF March 2026!
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<div><strong>The World Is Beginning to See:</strong>
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<div>Our 35-minute documentary, “<em>Going Inside: Empathy in Action</em>,” is officially nominated for BEST Overall Documentary at the Texas Short Film Festival.
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<div>Watch a piece of the film - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR6gq21JvE8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR6gq21JvE8" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR6gq21JvE8</a></a>
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<div>Or check out our powerful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@TransformativeJusticeCenter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">8-part YouTube mini-series</a>, “<em>Time Together</em>,” that captures real moments of transformation inside the prison walls between volunteers and prisoners.
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<div>Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can’t wait to share this work with you!
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<div>Love,
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<div>Megan
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<div>“Our capacity to destroy one another is matched by our capacity to heal one another.”
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<div>— Bessel van der Kolk
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<div>Please note - all donations are tax-deductible! Our EIN #: 26-4245043
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<div><a href="https://savannahhayesphotography.pixieset.com/empathyinaction2025/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Check out pictures from the most recent prison program</a> - all are welcome to join! 
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special lopez

Teresa Petty-Jones

Gabe Heckt

Lizbeth Morelos

Anonymous

Susan Curchack

Sarah Morris

Teresa Rodriguez

Julie K Ward

Spencer Smith

Dag Lohmann

Joanna Rogers

Save Empathy in Action: Transform Lives Through Compassion

Save Empathy in Action: Transform Lives Through Compassion

Still $17,775 to go. Help us build momentum.