May 15, 2020
Dear Friend,
We’re ready.
At BPI, our resolve to reinvent institutions and invest in individuals is deeper than ever. The times demand it. So does our community of stakeholders who have gotten us this far, especially you.
The fiscal year that is coming to an end has been the wildest and least predictable yet. From the premiere of College Behind Bars to the emergence of COVID-19, the intensity of life at BPI keeps us pushing into the future. Our physical presence in the prisons is paused — it is also more important than ever. In New York City, our response has been driven by the challenges and disproportionate impact of COVID-19 facing BPI alumni and Microcollege students. While some plans have been upended, BPI is on track; we are rallying and rising to this challenge, like we have many times in the past.
By definition, BPI is a community of optimists and doers who defy expectations. In this moment, we’re watching alumni take the lead. BPI’s decade of investment in Public Health programs, which start in classrooms and continue with cultivating leadership careers in the field through a NYC-based fellowship, has provided a deep foundation. Now, BPI alumni are on the front lines of COVID-related crises, working at the NYC Department of Health, advocating for #CLOSErikers, and becoming contact tracers across New York.
You’ll see, when America reopens, BPI will be prepared to make more of an impact than ever. Join us.
Please renew your commitment to BPI by making a gift by June 30 — up to $80,000 will be matched through the generous support of Bette Midler and two New York City-based funders.
If you believe in what we do, that every kind of American should have access to a terrific education and that after the crisis we can be more proximate and less isolated from one another; if you want BPI to continue creating more tuition-free college opportunity in unlikely places and disrupting the harm of mass incarceration, make yourself heard.
We’re #StickingTogether. Show your support for BPI and let’s build a bold, innovative, and equitable future, together.
Be well, be safe, be with BPI.
Yours sincerely,
Max Kenner ’01
Executive Director
