Dear Concerned Citizen:

Given your dedication to Chattanooga and all you do to help make our community a great place to live and do business, you will want to know about an impending gap in social services that could make it impossible for us to enjoy a competitive level of public safety.

Chattanooga Endeavors – the last state sanctioned prisoner reentry program in the area – is hamstrung by too little funding and too much to do.  This is a crisis for our community which already suffers under some of the highest crime rates in the South.  And, at a time when we should be expanding our program to combat a mounting public safety concern, we have been forced to cut back. 

For more than 20 years, we have provided transitional services for prisoners coming home to Chattanooga. We prepare them for work and help them find jobs that lead to a livable wage. This straightforward and cost-effective intervention makes it three times more likely that they will stay out of prison – and prevents an estimated 525 crimes every year.   Now we need your help to shore up our financial base and keep our services in place.

We recognize that recent events have forced many of us to review our priorities for charitable contributions.  If you have not already, we realize that you will soon be inundated with all types of solicitations and requests like this one.  We only ask that you be aware that we are not affiliated with United Way or any other fundraising organizations – making our need for your generosity even that much greater. 

Please consider joining our Brennan Society for sustaining gifts (see enclosed brochure).  With your support we can continue to address the many problems facing former offenders as they move from a life of crime and corrections to one of civil responsibility and independence.

Sincerely,

Timothy Dempsey                   Barrett Taylor                          Ted Caldwell
CEO                                        Board Chair                            Advisory Committee