Thousands of people who are incarcerated in Nebraska’s county jails will have access to voting rights information this week thanks to a mass mailing organized by the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska and reentry organization RISE. Educational pamphlets produced by the organizations began arriving at the jails yesterday.

"This is one part of getting my humanity back." - Jason Kotas

On Wednesday, October 16th, 2024, the Nebraska Supreme Court restored LB20 and says people who have completed their felony convictions MUST be allowed to register and vote.

AS OF TODAY, Wednesday, October16th, 2024, the Nebraska Supreme Court says voters with past felonies MUST be allowed to vote!

LB20, passed in April, was not new and not radical. It represented 8 years of advocacy and resilience to change the hearts and minds of legislators across Nebraska. We know Nebraskans believe in second chances. We stand with those affected and will keep advocating and working to make change.

Christ Community Church hosted RISE CEO and founder of RISE, Jeremy Bouman; Community Navigator, Aaron Pettes; and Volunteer Relations Manager, Chantal Wentz on Sunday, July 28th for their Ordinary People, Extraordinary God series.

RISE is a re-entry program with a mission to help people both inside and outside prison get back on their feet.

"We're helping them with housing, employment, healthy relationships, building a healthy peer community of others who are navigating carceral systems and coming home," said Jeremy Bouman, CEO of RISE.

“The Attorney General's opinion and the Secretary of State's announcement - made public less than 48 hours before a law to remedy this is to take effect -

unnecessarily introduces more uncertainty, delay and complication.”

On June 11th, 2024 the 9th RISE Cohort at the Omaha Correctional Center pitched their business ideas and graduated!

At ISE we are building a volunteer opportunity service for RISE Graduates who want to give back! One of the recurring things we hear is, “I want to give back but nobody will give me a chance.”

“Off paper” after your felony sentence? Learn how and when you can register to vote!

April is also National Volunteer Month. RISE would not be able to do this work without the care, support, and kindness of our volunteers. We have a special, trusting, and trustworthy group of volunteers.

When Ray returned to the community, he struggled like so many do. Addiction took over and he lost touch with us. He went back to prison. But he came back home, he reached back out, and RISE was here. We'll always be here if they're ready.

Meet the RISE Staff! This week, meet Maeve Hemmer, RISE Community Navigator!

Effective January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) requires reporting companies to identify their beneficial owners to the United States Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”).

Meet the RISE Staff! This week, meet Charita Dailey, Director of Development

RISE provides "Welcome Home" bags to all RISE graduates who return home. Valued at over $100, each bag includes personal care items like body wash, shampoo, laundry detergent and towels. We all know how expensive a trip for essentials like this can be - lifting this one financial burden means a lot to us and the people we serve.

Although Nebraska has an unemployment rate of 2.3%, the state is faced with a workforce shortage.

We believe that people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system are the most integral voices in advocating for change. Nebraska needs all of its citizens to vote, there should not be a wait to participate.