Hi everyone! My name is Lily, and I have been a pen pal and friend to Gimel Morgan in the last few years of his 17-year sentence. I am an advocate with the Parole Preparation Project and have been using my training to informally assist Gimel with his re-entry process. Please join me in welcoming him home this December.

Gimel was just 16 years old when he was sentenced to 17 years for an attempted robbery in Michigan. He is now 35. In his words, “I was struggling with childhood traumas, social pressures from my peers, and like any teenage boy, trying to figure myself out. I admittedly had broken the law and needed some form of correction. Instead of being helped, the answer was to throw me in a cage, a cage that not only held all that was good about me but also all my fears, insecurities and shame…”

During his time in prison, he earned his G.E.D. and obtained several certifications in food service management. He also completed some college credits in Business Management through Ohio State’s mailing course before the program was terminated. Upon his release, he is eager to use his skills in a food service position and return to college if possible. In many emails, he has raved about how much he loves cooking and baking, in addition to our shared interest in creative writing. On top of his achievements, I have come to know Gimel as an incredibly resilient individual who is very much in tune with himself.

Gimel will be released on December 6th, 2022. He is coming home to no family and has lost much of his early adulthood to prison. He will need money for clothes, particularly winter apparel for the Michigan cold, hygiene products, and a phone and laptop to begin his job search. Less than a month before his release, we are still unsure which county he will be paroled to, but he will also need funds for transportation.

I hope you will join me in welcoming Gimel home and giving him a chance to start a new life outside prison. Any amount counts, and I’d be thrilled if you shared this with your networks if a donation isn’t possible. Thank you so much for your support.