The Community
Our mission is to foster the full potential of people with criminal records through Pre-entry and showcasing their successes, humanity, and agency through Correcting the Narrative.
Our mission is to foster the full potential of people with criminal records through Pre-entry and showcasing their successes, humanity, and agency through Correcting the Narrative.
Upcoming Events
Join us at the Monona Terrace in Madison January 17 for an evening of empowerment storytelling videos from our first two seasons of Correcting the Narrative, followed by an hourlong panel then Q & A about how showcasing the successes, humanity, and agency of people with criminal records builds stronger communities. Thank you to event sponsor the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership. Register here to attend.
What’s New?
Our latest podcast episode
Marlon Chamberlain, Campaign Manager for the Fully Free Campaign.
Our Latest Issue
Issue 35 – October 2022
All In All Out is a podcast partnership between The Community and the Milwaukee School of Engineering University Scholars Honors Program. It explores the nuance of topics and promotes greater collaboration in the reentry/reform/decarceration ecosystem in Wisconsin, as well as showcasing the successes, humanity, and agency of people with criminal records.
How to support this work
Donate with PayPal
Make a one-time donation or sign up for monthly donations here.
Donate with CashApp
Click the icon or use $thecommunitynow on the CashApp app.
Donate with Venmo
Click the icon or use @thecommunitynow on the Venmo app.
See our Free People Problems page for fundraising merchandise options and info about the meaning behind the words and design. It’s more than a slogan; it’s pyschology.
Amazon Smile
1. Go to Smile.Amazon.com 2. Log in with your regular Amazon account info
3. Add “The Community” as the charity
OR go to settings on the Amazon app on your phone and activate AmazonSmile, then add us as the charity.
Amazon will donate to us .05% of every purchase you make at no extra cost to you.
Heather Langton Photography
Heather Langton Photography captures the vibrance of unfiltered nature to bring renewed hope and healing to those who need it. They donate 25% of profits from photography purchases to The Community.
Dev Cabin Technologies
Dev Cabin Technologies offers digital solutions for your business or personal needs, whether you need web design and development, apps, digital marketing, and more. Use the name “The Community” and they will donate 10% to us.
Donate with PayPal
Make a one-time donation or sign up for monthly donations here.
Free People Problems Merchandise
See our Free People Problems page for fundraising merchandise options and info about the meaning behind the words and design of the logo. It’s more than a slogan; it’s pyschology.
Donate with CashApp
Click the icon or use $thecommunitynow on the app.
Donate with Venmo
Click the icon or use @thecommunitynow on the app.
Donate with Amazon
1. Go to Smile.Amazon.com
2. Log in using your regular Amazon account info
3. Add “The Community” as the charity.
OR go to settings on the Amazon app on your phone and activate AmazonSmile, then add us as the charity.
Amazon will donate to us .5% of every purchase you make at no extra cost to you.
Heather Langton Photography
Heather Langton Photography captures the vibrance of unfiltered nature to bring renewed hope and healing to those who need it. They donate 25% of profits from photography purchases to us.
Dev Cabin Technologies
Dev Cabin Technologies offers digital solutions for your business or personal needs, whether you need web design and development, apps, digital marketing, or more. Use the name “The Community” and they will donate 10% to us.
Some Of Our Partners
Our Team
Shannon Ross
Executive Director
Shannon served 17 years in prison in the Wisconsin prison system from the ages of 19 to 36. He created The Community in 2014 with the invaluable help of friends and family while finishing his bachelor’s degree in business administration. He is also a graduate student at UW-Milwaukee’s Masters in Sustainable Peacebuilding program, a fellow with the Wisconsin Decarceration Platform, a mentor with Prisons to Professionals, and co-owner of a transportation company. To learn more about his speaking engagements and innovative consulting agency (Paradigm Shyft: Reentry Strategies and Consulting), visit his LinkedIn page below.
Jim Kaufman
Jack-of-all-trades
Jim is an overall polymath with multiple degrees, graphic design expertise, legal acumen, and tech know-how who spent seven years in the Wisconsin prison system.
Ann Knoedler
Office Manager
Ann is a retired newspaper reporter and Vice President of the Uptown Crossing Neighborhood Association and manages a community garden in Milwaukee.
Roy Rogers
Preentry Liaison & Information Analyst
Roy is a public speaker, advocate for “juvenile lifers” in the Wisconsin prison system, and an associate of the Wisconsin Alliance For Youth Justice (WAYJ). Roy has over two decades of experience mentoring and counseling youth during his 28 years in prison from the age of 16. He is a graduate of the Madison Area Technical College and certified in Entry Level IT training at the New Horizons Computer Learning Center in Milwaukee and CompTIA ITF. And he also serves as a musician at the Progressive Baptist Church.
Our Directors
Tracie Sparks - President
Diversity & Inclusion Talent Acquisition Professional
Ryan Ramnarace - Vice President
Founding member of Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network
Iran Amandah - Treasurer
Co-founder of LRL Capital
Aldira Aldape - Secretary
Community Engagement Director Americans for Prosperity
Kobena-Marcus J. Collins
Diversity & Inclusion Advisor
Catherine Pederson
Founder & Executive Director of Loving Venti
Peter Borg
Consulting Historian
Steven Olikara
Founder of Millennial Action Project
Keith Stanley
Executive Director of Near West Side Partners, Inc.
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