NOLA TO ANGOLA Bike Ride

The  NOLA to Angola, three-day, 170-mile bicycle ride fundraiser is almost here.  In 11 days I'll be riding from Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans to Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary. 100% of your donations will support the Cornerstone Builders Bus Project, which sends free buses every month for family members to visit their incarcerated loved ones.

Formerly the site of a plantation, Angola was converted into a prison by a former Major in the Confederate Army. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution ended slavery - except for incarcerated people. The plantation's operations continued, only now with the labor of the incarcerated.

Louisiana has the highest per capita incarceration rate in the United States, with 816 people in prison for every 100,000 residents - nearly double the national average.  African Americans account for 32% of Louisiana residents, but 66% of the state's prison population. Angola is located over two hours drive from New Orleans. 

The prison's distance from home creates a strain on both the inmates and their families. Family members experience financial as well as emotional hardships. Increased debt and challenges meeting basic needs are common. Numerous studies have shown that people who receive regular visits from family are more likely to succeed after their release from prison - not to mention making it easier to endure their sentence. The Cornerstone Builders Bus Project provides a crucial service for families to maintain relationships with their incarcerated loved ones.

This is my first year participating in this ride. I set my goal at $600 (half the cost of sending an entire bus from New Orleans to Angola). No contribution is to big or to small! Here's what your contribution will support:

• $25 funds one round-trip ride from New Orleans
• $50 funds both a parent and child from New Orleans
• $75 allows one individual to visit 3x per year
• $100 funds a four-person family from New Orleans.

Thanks so much for supporting the ride and the Cornerstone Builders Project!  

Sarah

The information presented here is credited to   Andru Okun's excellent article from Antigravity Magazine.  Here's the full text: http://antigravitymagazine.com/feature/prison-road-the-far-flung-effects-of-incarceration-in-louisiana/