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Your Support Fuels a Second Chance

Help us break the cycle of recidivism. Your contribution provides the essential tools, housing, and mentorship needed for a successful transition back into society.

The Why That Drives Us

At SCARS, we believe that a person’s past should not define their entire future. Re-entry is a daunting journey, and without a support system, many are forced back into the circumstances that led to their incarceration. Your donation directly funds the bridge between a release date and a stable, productive life.

The Pillars of Your Contribution:

Housing Stability: Reducing homelessness by subsidizing transitional living environments.
Vocational Empowerment: Providing the certifications and soft-skills training required for modern employment.
Mental Health & Mentorship: Funding the clinical and peer-led support groups that facilitate emotional resilience.
Administrative Integrity: Ensuring our programs are managed with the highest standards of non-profit transparency and legal compliance.

Call to Action: Your contribution is more than a donation; it is a vote of confidence in a person’s ability to change. Please select an amount below to begin.

Investing in Human Potential: The SCARS Mission

Second Chance After Release Services (SCARS) operates on the fundamental principle that rehabilitation is a community-wide responsibility. When we invest in the successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals, we decrease recidivism, improve public safety, and restore families. We invite you to partner with our Board of Directors and staff in providing the structural support necessary for lasting change.

SCARS Donation Impact Tiers

By connecting your gift to a specific outcome, you help our supporters visualize the “Second Chance” they are providing.

All Our Programs

$10.00 — The First Step Covers a Day Pass for Public Transit

This allows a participant to travel to a job interview, a medical appointment, or a meeting with their parole officer without the stress of transportation costs.

$25.00 — The Welcome Home Kit Provides an Essential Hygiene & Connectivity Pack

This includes basic toiletries and a prepaid phone card, ensuring a returning citizen can stay in touch with family and potential employers from day one.

$50.00 — The Identity Restorer Funds the Government Documentation Fees

Many participants return with no ID; this gift covers the cost of a State ID, Birth Certificate, or Social Security card replacement—the vital keys to legal employment.

$100.00 — The Professional Wardrobe Provides Interview & Work Attire

First impressions matter. This tier ensures a participant has a professional outfit or the necessary safety gear (like steel-toed boots) to start a new job with confidence.

$250.00 — The Empowerment Workshop Sponsors a Life Skills & Financial Literacy Module

This funds an instructor-led session for a group of participants, teaching them how to manage a budget, open a bank account, and navigate digital tools.

$500.00 — The Foundation of Stability Provides One Month of Transitional Housing Support

Stability begins with a safe place to sleep. This contribution covers the subsidy for one participant’s housing and intensive case management for thirty days.

Ways to Give

One-Time Gift: A quick way to make an immediate impact.

Monthly Prartne: Join our “Inner Circle” by providing reliable, monthly support that allows us to plan for long-term growth.

Corporate Sponsorship: Partner your business with SCARS to demonstrate a commitment to social justice and community safety.

“Your support is the bridge between a person’s past and their potential.”

— SCARS Team

Impact Profile

The Impact of Your Contribution:

When you donate to Second Chance After Release Services (SCARS), you aren’t just giving money; you are investing in a proven strategy for public safety, economic stability, and human dignity.

Below is a breakdown of how your support creates a ripple effect across our community.

Individual Impact: Restoring Dignity

Your contribution provides the “Essential Toolkit” for a returning citizen’s first 72 hours—the most critical window for preventing recidivism.

Employment Readiness: Funding for vocational training, professional attire for interviews, and assistance in obtaining state IDs or commercial driver’s licenses.
Essential Stability: Provision of “Bridge Housing” stipends, transportation passes for commuting to work, and basic healthcare navigation.
Mental Health & Mentorship: Access to peer-led support groups and 1-on-1 counseling to navigate the psychological transition from incarceration to freedom.

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Community Impact: Safer Neighborhoods

Successful re-entry is the most effective form of crime prevention.

Reducing Recidivism: Every individual who gains stable employment and housing through SCARS is statistically less likely to return to the justice system.
Strengthening Families: 1 in 28 children in the U.S. has a parent behind bars. By helping parents successfully re-enter the workforce, your donation helps reunite families and break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration.
Economic Contribution: We turn “tax consumers” into “tax payers.” Your support helps individuals transition from being a cost to the state to being contributing members of the local economy.

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Systemic Impact: A More Just Society

SCARS works to shift the narrative from “punishment” to “restoration.”

Corporate Partnerships: We work with local businesses to incentivize “Fair Chance” hiring, proving that returning citizens are some of the most loyal and hardworking employees.
Advocacy: Your support allows us to advocate for policy changes that remove “The Box” and other systemic barriers that prevent people from truly paying their debt to society.