Updates (2016 and previous)
December 15, 2016
Towards Justice | Advancing Change in the New Year
We met the match!
Thank you to everyone for helping to make our first-ever matching gifts campaign a success! Thanks to you, we not only met the match, we exceeded it. Including both the donations made throughout the day and the initial matching pledge, we raised more than $4,000 on #GivingTuesday. [Read more]
In the full issue: Event updates and how to give justice
Thank you to everyone for helping to make our first-ever matching gifts campaign a success! Thanks to you, we not only met the match, we exceeded it. Including both the donations made throughout the day and the initial matching pledge, we raised more than $4,000 on #GivingTuesday. [Read more]
In the full issue: Event updates and how to give justice
November 10, 2016
A Movement Towards Justice
From Our Executive Director:
Friends,
When the team at ARC, Inc. met this morning, each of us voiced the concerns shared by so many about the direction our criminal justice system may take in the coming days. This week, we have seen the death penalty affirmed and even restored. We have seen retribution become a policy priority.
What our team also expressed was commitment: Commitment to fight for our clients with everything we have,... [Read more]
Friends,
When the team at ARC, Inc. met this morning, each of us voiced the concerns shared by so many about the direction our criminal justice system may take in the coming days. This week, we have seen the death penalty affirmed and even restored. We have seen retribution become a policy priority.
What our team also expressed was commitment: Commitment to fight for our clients with everything we have,... [Read more]
November 3, 2016
Towards Justice | Registration is now open for our February training!
Baltimore Mitigation Training Series Workshop #1: February 10 - 11, 2017
This will be a two-day primer on foundational topics such as client and witness interviews, record searches, the creation of key case documents, and other critical issues. [Read more]
In the full issue: Online mitigation resources at MyGideon and looking forward to #GivingTuesday
This will be a two-day primer on foundational topics such as client and witness interviews, record searches, the creation of key case documents, and other critical issues. [Read more]
In the full issue: Online mitigation resources at MyGideon and looking forward to #GivingTuesday
October 6, 2016
Towards Justice | What the best lawyers in the world can't do
Building a community of support
Thank you to everyone who helped to make Eat, Drink, and Do Justice such a success! Your support is helping us to grow and sustain our casework and consultation, as well as to launch two new initiatives for the coming year... [Read more]
In the full issue: Two new initiatives, and an update on Buck v. Davis
Thank you to everyone who helped to make Eat, Drink, and Do Justice such a success! Your support is helping us to grow and sustain our casework and consultation, as well as to launch two new initiatives for the coming year... [Read more]
In the full issue: Two new initiatives, and an update on Buck v. Davis
September 8, 2016
Towards Justice | Join us on September 21st!
Celebrating and Supporting Change
September 21st is our first-ever fundraising event. It is an important evening, not just for us as an organization, but for what we hope is the beginning of broadening access to and an understanding of life history investigation.
At the event, we'll be officially announcing two upcoming initiatives. [Read more]
In the full issue: Event details and welcoming a new team member
September 21st is our first-ever fundraising event. It is an important evening, not just for us as an organization, but for what we hope is the beginning of broadening access to and an understanding of life history investigation.
At the event, we'll be officially announcing two upcoming initiatives. [Read more]
In the full issue: Event details and welcoming a new team member
August 4, 2016
Towards Justice | Eat, Drink, and Do Justice
Save the Date: September 21
Join the staff and Board members of Advancing Real Change for a chance to get to know the founders of this movement to transform the U.S. criminal justice system through the practice of life history investigation. [Read more]
RSVPs appreciated. Reply online here or email Erin at esf@advancechange.org.
In the full issue: Join our team, EJW Fellowship, and good news from Delaware
Join the staff and Board members of Advancing Real Change for a chance to get to know the founders of this movement to transform the U.S. criminal justice system through the practice of life history investigation. [Read more]
RSVPs appreciated. Reply online here or email Erin at esf@advancechange.org.
In the full issue: Join our team, EJW Fellowship, and good news from Delaware
July 12, 2016
Towards Justice | 2016 Mid-Year Highlights
Spotlight: Board Members in Action
ARC, Inc.'s Board members make so much happen behind the scenes here - and that is on top of being leaders in their respective fields! This month, we are proud to share news of a major accomplishment for Board member Christina Swarns, Litigation Director for the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund. Christina is lead counsel for Duane Buck, a man who has spent almost 20 years on death row in Texas. ... [Read more]
In the full issue: Our mid-year highlights, complete Board spotlight, and our GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency.
ARC, Inc.'s Board members make so much happen behind the scenes here - and that is on top of being leaders in their respective fields! This month, we are proud to share news of a major accomplishment for Board member Christina Swarns, Litigation Director for the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund. Christina is lead counsel for Duane Buck, a man who has spent almost 20 years on death row in Texas. ... [Read more]
In the full issue: Our mid-year highlights, complete Board spotlight, and our GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency.
July 11, 2016
2016 Mid-Year Highlights
Check out the video below for an overview of ARC, Inc.'s work so far this year.
June 9, 2016
Towards Justice | "It's going to take everyone's effort"
Getting to Know ARC, Inc.
Perhaps the best way to learn about the work of ARC, Inc. is to learn about the people who carry it out every day. In this issue, Deputy Director John Fox shares his thoughts on nearly a decade of work in the field of mitigation.
On what drives his work
"About 10 years ago, I was meeting with one of the first clients I ever worked with. His name was Angel. I visited him once or twice a week for six months. I was just tasked with keeping him company during the final stages of his appeals and to make sure that the rest of the defense team was aware of how he was doing. Because we spoke through a glass pane, for our hellos and goodbyes, we put our hands on the glass as though we were touching. It was like an extended high five. ..." [Read more]
In the full issue: Continue getting to know us, an update on the Client Assistance Fund, and our new home.
Perhaps the best way to learn about the work of ARC, Inc. is to learn about the people who carry it out every day. In this issue, Deputy Director John Fox shares his thoughts on nearly a decade of work in the field of mitigation.
On what drives his work
"About 10 years ago, I was meeting with one of the first clients I ever worked with. His name was Angel. I visited him once or twice a week for six months. I was just tasked with keeping him company during the final stages of his appeals and to make sure that the rest of the defense team was aware of how he was doing. Because we spoke through a glass pane, for our hellos and goodbyes, we put our hands on the glass as though we were touching. It was like an extended high five. ..." [Read more]
In the full issue: Continue getting to know us, an update on the Client Assistance Fund, and our new home.
May 5, 2016
Towards Justice: The latest news from ARC, Inc.
Client Assistance Fund
ARC, Inc.’s investigators have, collectively, nearly three decades’ history of building relationships with clients. That means hundreds of visits to prisons and countless moments of witnessing the deplorable conditions that are found there. Our clients may not share details of their experiences right away – and may take much longer to ask for help, if they ever do – but in visit after visit, their needs become clear. We care deeply about our clients’ well-being, and want to help them to meet their basic needs.
That is why we have launched our first-ever online fundraising campaign to support the creation of a Client Assistance Fund. Meeting our campaign target of $2,500 would allow us to provide direct assistance to our clients throughout 2016. [Read more]
In the full issue: More on the Client Assistance Fund, Three Questions with Liz Vartkessian, and our 2015 Annual Report.
ARC, Inc.’s investigators have, collectively, nearly three decades’ history of building relationships with clients. That means hundreds of visits to prisons and countless moments of witnessing the deplorable conditions that are found there. Our clients may not share details of their experiences right away – and may take much longer to ask for help, if they ever do – but in visit after visit, their needs become clear. We care deeply about our clients’ well-being, and want to help them to meet their basic needs.
That is why we have launched our first-ever online fundraising campaign to support the creation of a Client Assistance Fund. Meeting our campaign target of $2,500 would allow us to provide direct assistance to our clients throughout 2016. [Read more]
In the full issue: More on the Client Assistance Fund, Three Questions with Liz Vartkessian, and our 2015 Annual Report.
April 7, 2016
Towards Justice: The latest news from ARC, Inc.
Bringing Mitigation Training Where It Is Needed Most
As the result of the recent Supreme Court decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana, approximately 2,500 people serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole imposed when they were children are now entitled to be resentenced. These individuals have been incarcerated for their entire adult lives. For the first time, they will have the opportunity to provide information about their personal circumstances and experiences, which could be reasons for lesser sentences. [Read more]
In the full issue: More on mitigation training, Where we work, the J.M.K. Innovation Prize, and a new team member.
As the result of the recent Supreme Court decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana, approximately 2,500 people serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole imposed when they were children are now entitled to be resentenced. These individuals have been incarcerated for their entire adult lives. For the first time, they will have the opportunity to provide information about their personal circumstances and experiences, which could be reasons for lesser sentences. [Read more]
In the full issue: More on mitigation training, Where we work, the J.M.K. Innovation Prize, and a new team member.
January 19, 2016
Advancing Real Change, Inc.: A look at 2015
As we move into 2016, we would be remiss if we did not pause and reflect on all ARC, Inc. has accomplished in our first year as a nonprofit and thank those of you who helped us on our way.
ARC, Inc. is no longer an office of two, working tirelessly in the basement of the row house of our Executive Director, Liz Vartkessian. Liz and Deputy Director John Fox are now joined by three new staff members, Jessica Sutton, Senior Life History Investigator, and Sadie Kosaber and Maya Garza, both Records Collection Specialists. Our office of five has also moved out of Liz’s basement into an office space in the heart of the Highlandtown neighborhood in southeast Baltimore. Our esteemed Board of Directors has also grown and we are lucky to welcome Amber Kaset and Robin Maher to its ranks.
Some of the biggest news for ARC, Inc. in 2015 was that Liz was named by the JM Kaplan Fund as one of the ten inaugural winners of the JMK Innovation Prize, a new initiative to support and raise the visibility of US-based teams or individuals addressing our country’s most pressing needs through social sector innovation. Liz and ARC, Inc. were selected out of an applicant pool of more than 1,000 and we received a three-year grant totaling $175,000.
None of what we achieved this year—our casework, our new staff hirings, our move, or ARC, Inc.’s award—would be possible without the generous support of individuals and organizations that believe in our vision and our work. In particular we would like to thank our top contributors, in-kind donors, and volunteers:
JM Kaplan Fund
Reed Smith, LLP
Maryland Office of the Public Defender
Venable, LLP
Diana Philip
Chris Donaghey
Erin Fiaschetti
We would also like to thank those individuals and foundations who contributed gifts at or above $1,000.00:
The Pretzer and Prince Family Fund
The Leder Greenman Family Foundation
Steve Asin
James Marcus
Robin Maher
Jeremy Sierra & Denise Oliviera
Wayne and Nam Tsou
Michael Wiseman
We look forward to not only continuing, but expanding the scope of our work and the clients we serve in order to bring the transformative power of state-of-the-art life history investigations to all corners of the justice system.
ARC, Inc. is no longer an office of two, working tirelessly in the basement of the row house of our Executive Director, Liz Vartkessian. Liz and Deputy Director John Fox are now joined by three new staff members, Jessica Sutton, Senior Life History Investigator, and Sadie Kosaber and Maya Garza, both Records Collection Specialists. Our office of five has also moved out of Liz’s basement into an office space in the heart of the Highlandtown neighborhood in southeast Baltimore. Our esteemed Board of Directors has also grown and we are lucky to welcome Amber Kaset and Robin Maher to its ranks.
Some of the biggest news for ARC, Inc. in 2015 was that Liz was named by the JM Kaplan Fund as one of the ten inaugural winners of the JMK Innovation Prize, a new initiative to support and raise the visibility of US-based teams or individuals addressing our country’s most pressing needs through social sector innovation. Liz and ARC, Inc. were selected out of an applicant pool of more than 1,000 and we received a three-year grant totaling $175,000.
None of what we achieved this year—our casework, our new staff hirings, our move, or ARC, Inc.’s award—would be possible without the generous support of individuals and organizations that believe in our vision and our work. In particular we would like to thank our top contributors, in-kind donors, and volunteers:
JM Kaplan Fund
Reed Smith, LLP
Maryland Office of the Public Defender
Venable, LLP
Diana Philip
Chris Donaghey
Erin Fiaschetti
We would also like to thank those individuals and foundations who contributed gifts at or above $1,000.00:
The Pretzer and Prince Family Fund
The Leder Greenman Family Foundation
Steve Asin
James Marcus
Robin Maher
Jeremy Sierra & Denise Oliviera
Wayne and Nam Tsou
Michael Wiseman
We look forward to not only continuing, but expanding the scope of our work and the clients we serve in order to bring the transformative power of state-of-the-art life history investigations to all corners of the justice system.
November 12, 2015
Baltimore-based nonprofit Advancing Real Change, Inc. awarded a 2015 J.M.K. Innovation Prize
[Baltimore, Maryland], Nov. 12, 2015 – Advancing Real Change, Inc. (ARC, Inc.), a grassroots organization promoting fairness in the criminal justice system by developing the life stories of people charged with crimes, has been named by the J.M. Kaplan Fund as one of ten inaugural winners of the J.M.K. Innovation Prize, a new initiative to support and raise the visibility of U.S.-based teams or individuals addressing our country’s most pressing needs through social-sector innovation. Specifically, the Prize seeks to support inter-disciplinary innovation in the fields of cultural heritage, human rights, the built environment, and the natural environment. The Prize is particularly designed for early-stage ideas piloted or prototyped by dynamic visionaries.
Started in 2014, ARC, Inc. seeks to transform the US justice system by developing the complex stories of those facing severe penalties. Their work is grounded in the knowledge that retributive responses to crime can be tempered when the accused is viewed as a person-‐and that only happens when decision makers get to know the trajectory of that individual. ARC, Inc. engages in direct case work, collaborates with defenders throughout the nation, and trains future defenders to place the life history of the accused at the center of their practice.
“Not only will this prize enable us to focus on the mission of the organization, it also provides us with opportunities to partner with others who are interested in our mission and vision,” said Elizabeth Vartkessian, Executive Director of ARC, Inc. “The prize will allow us to make meaningful connections with those outside the day-to‐day operations of the criminal justice system, but who are deeply concerned with its administration. Having the opportunity to develop these relationships and communicate to a broader network will be invaluable for the long term goals of our organization.”
“ARC, Inc. is creatively reminding us that everyone, even those with the least resources to defend themselves, has a personal story that should count when his or her life is up for judgement,” said the J.M. Kaplan Fund’s Executive Director Amy Freitag. “This initiative is a brilliant combination of research and legal expertise experience that seeks to transform America's overly punitive criminal justice system."
ARC, Inc. and nine other winners were chosen from an original pool of 1,138 applicants, representing many regions across the U.S., as well as many areas of interest, including: criminal justice, food systems, cultural heritage, technology, public health, economic empowerment, and the arts.
“Because many new social sector innovations don't fit neatly within philanthropic funding buckets or have a track record to attract widespread support, they frequently struggle to get funding that can sustain them through their early years,” said Peter Davidson, Chairman of the J.M. Kaplan Fund Board of Trustees. “Through The J.M.K. Innovation Prize, we are shining a light on the burgeoning ideas and future leaders who will create a more ideal society.”
Started in 2014, ARC, Inc. seeks to transform the US justice system by developing the complex stories of those facing severe penalties. Their work is grounded in the knowledge that retributive responses to crime can be tempered when the accused is viewed as a person-‐and that only happens when decision makers get to know the trajectory of that individual. ARC, Inc. engages in direct case work, collaborates with defenders throughout the nation, and trains future defenders to place the life history of the accused at the center of their practice.
“Not only will this prize enable us to focus on the mission of the organization, it also provides us with opportunities to partner with others who are interested in our mission and vision,” said Elizabeth Vartkessian, Executive Director of ARC, Inc. “The prize will allow us to make meaningful connections with those outside the day-to‐day operations of the criminal justice system, but who are deeply concerned with its administration. Having the opportunity to develop these relationships and communicate to a broader network will be invaluable for the long term goals of our organization.”
“ARC, Inc. is creatively reminding us that everyone, even those with the least resources to defend themselves, has a personal story that should count when his or her life is up for judgement,” said the J.M. Kaplan Fund’s Executive Director Amy Freitag. “This initiative is a brilliant combination of research and legal expertise experience that seeks to transform America's overly punitive criminal justice system."
ARC, Inc. and nine other winners were chosen from an original pool of 1,138 applicants, representing many regions across the U.S., as well as many areas of interest, including: criminal justice, food systems, cultural heritage, technology, public health, economic empowerment, and the arts.
“Because many new social sector innovations don't fit neatly within philanthropic funding buckets or have a track record to attract widespread support, they frequently struggle to get funding that can sustain them through their early years,” said Peter Davidson, Chairman of the J.M. Kaplan Fund Board of Trustees. “Through The J.M.K. Innovation Prize, we are shining a light on the burgeoning ideas and future leaders who will create a more ideal society.”