I have the honor to serve on the Board of Directors for POPS the Club. POPS the Club transforms shame and stigma into hope and healing for teens who are struggling with the Pain of the Prison System. Our mission is to create a safe and empowering space inside and outside of high schools for the children and other loved ones of those incarcerated. During these difficult times, (especially with COVID-19) our students are vulnerable in this time of physical isolation. They remain vastly separated from their incarcerated loved ones and are in need of resources like POPS the Club. The separation can have costly emotional and social consequences, such as trauma and trouble in schools, homelessness, and bigger welfare and foster care rolls. Any amount will help to provide services to these children.

Most students who attend POPS the Club meetings have dealt, or are dealing with, the incarceration of a parent, sibling, other family member, or a friend. Some have themselves experienced incarceration. In the safe space that is a POPS club meeting, members create community, share their stories, and heal. We share a provided meal, make art, write, engage in mindfulness exercises,learn from guest speakers, and publish and perform our stories and poems. In weekly club meetings, young people with loved ones in prison, jail and detention discover they are not alone.