Dear Friends and Advocates,

Thank you for all you do for the 7,000 persons we are privileged to serve: those returning from prison, jail, and those seeking addiction treatment.

After consulting with physicians, university officials, and our Board of Trustees, it is with heartfelt regret that we must cancel our two upcoming events:

our Women’s Roundtable, which was to be held at University Hospital on Friday, March 20th and our Annual Reentry Conference, which was to be held on Holy Thursday, April 9th, at St Peter’s University.

For our Annual Conference, we had a record enrollment of 900 persons and a series of accomplished speakers including our Governor, Senate President and Assembly Speaker, leading legislators, as well as Van Jones, Reverend Sharpton, Cardinal Tobin, Jayson Williams and distinguished psychiatrists, neurologists, and physicians.

Yet, the current medical information regarding the potential health risk to our attendees caused by the spread of the coronavirus must be our overriding consideration. For this reason, given existing medical direction, we are regretfully cancelling the Women’s Roundtable and the Annual Reentry Conference.

We want to express our gratitude to our speakers, panelists, our precious and valuable participants, University and Hospital partners, and most importantly, you our Ambassadors in the community who recognize the importance of Second Chances and the gift of redemption.

May we care for one another, as well as the stranger and ourselves during this difficult time. And, may we seek our “better angels” amidst these challenges.