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TJ is getting a second chance. Can you help him with a fresh start?
I'm raising money for my friend TJ (Terry) Garrison who is coming home from prison soon.
He will be walking out of prison with almost nothing and an uphill battle ahead of him.
- Locked up since 1997, he's never held a smart phone and has hardly been online.
- He has never had a non-prison job or apartment.
- Today, he has some health issues that impede his ability to work and restrictive parole conditions that further limit his capacity to make money.
- Monthly rent in the sober living home is $800/month. He will need a phone, clothes and hygiene products, food and living expenses.
He has a small network of friends dispersed around the country doing their best to help him get on his feet.
If a lot of people give even a little bit, it will go a long way toward helping TJ's success. $3000 would be a big boost toward his long-term success.
How I Know TJ:
I first met TJ in a drama workshop I facilitated in 2014 at Eyman State Prison in Arizona. He's from the neighborhood I grew up in, in Peoria/Glendale, AZ, just a few years older than me. Even back that, TJ demonstrated sensitivity, kindness, and a dedication to learning and self-improvement. At that time, he was living with a life-without-parole sentence for a harm he caused when we was a young adult. He thought we was going to die in prison and he was making the most of his time, building community and growing as a person.
I've known him since January 2014 and he's consistently demonstrated integrity, resilience, and character. His mom died during our workshop, in May 2014, and she was his primary support and the only one who ever visited him in prison. He doesn't have too many other folks in his life.
Now, he's getting out. Somewhat improbably. He is being released on Thursday, June 5th, 2025.
This guy is more than deserving of a second chance.