IN ARMS REACH INC

In Arms Reach's goal is to break the cycle of involvement with the criminal justice system for at-risk youth primarily children of the incarcerated using mentoring, free prison visitation, educational supports, college readiness, cutting edge career development, and exposure to STEM learning. In Arms Reach, Inc works tirelessly to build upon the life experiences of the children we serve and empower the youth in our program to achieve their life's goals. Our primary goal is to pave the way for these children to live positive, rich and rewarding lives.

• Developing students skills and techniques that improve note-taking and studying abilities;
• Providing after school homework help and tutoring sessions;
• Liaising with school to monitor school attendance and performance;
• Evaluating student learning levels and making referrals to IAR’s tutoring program when necessary;
• Conducting self-esteem building and motivational workshops;
• Coordinating college campus tours for students and parents;
• Guiding students through college selection, application submission and financial aid processes;
• Organizing one community service project of the student’s choice;
• Teaching successful writing techniques to create compelling essays for college applications and;
• Providing book scholarships to each student that successfully completes the program and is admitted to a college or university immediately following high school graduation
• Integrating therapeutic discussions on trips and after to help children cope with their feelings and emotions that arise in seeing a parent in prison;
• Conducting parental workshops series with guest speakers on topics such as “Keeping Children’s Needs A Priority When A Parent is Incarcerated”;
• Ensuring consistent communication with mandatory letters through the Creative Letter Writing campaigns;
• Helping families in need with emergency funding for food, winter coats and/or school supplies;
• Implementing a photography day for children to have professional photographs taken and sent to incarcerated parents and;
• Working with IAR, LMSW to connect children, adolescents and their families with ongoing services in their communities.

Uniquely headquartered at The City College University of New York, In Arms Reach, Inc. operates out of The Townsend Harris Hall building with electronic teaching capabilities in a number of classrooms, small-group seminar rooms and multidisciplinary teaching facilities to help foster the social and academic development of children impacted by the criminal justice system. Our capabilities include full access to state of the art facilities, classrooms, remote Sensing/Geographical Information Systems Computer, Microelectronics, and Robotic Labs, Wet and Dry labs equipped with light microscopes, audio visual equipment, and leadership of Associate Medical Professors.

In Arms Reach, the first organization primarily serving children of the incarcerated in New York has been operating for over eleven plus years now and continues to advocate for one of our societies most undeserved populations.

IAR uniquely structured to expose children to STEM related fields and has assisted dozens of its participants to receive scholarships into four year colleges.

Received prestigious Echoing Green Fellowship in 2002 as well as the Union Square Awards. Our founder was selected as NY 1 New Yorker of the Week and was interviewed by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and featured in Mr. Gates’ PBS series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross which chronicles an incredible 500 years of history from slavery to the White House.

IAR has been visited by various high profile entertainers and has received much public support . IAR has been invited on speaking engagements that include Yale Law School, Harvard University, and Columbia University. IAR has appeared on various media outlets such as CNN International, BET, NBC, ABC, RNN, Channel 9 UPN news, 98.7 Kiss FM and Court TV with Anchorwoman Cathleen Crier highlighting this important community work.