From FORTE House
to YOUR House Issue #2 |
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FORTE Forward!|January 2021 |
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Our FORTE family is looking forward to the New Year as a time of promise, possibility, and positivity. We are grateful you have joined us on the journey! |
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Telling the Stories, Amplifying the Voices:
Tia Ryans Selected as WBGO Resident Reporter |
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FORTE House founder Tia Ryans has been selected as one of the five Winter 2021 Resident Reporters for WBGO, the Newark jazz and news radio station. The role was created a few years ago to "fill critical information gaps" and foster community story-telling. "The stories of formerly incarcerated individuals who are now working, studying, contributing to the community--these are stories that need to be heard!" she said. Read the full announcement and meet the other winners here. |
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FORTE House "Fills a Huge Need":
An Interview with Regina Diamond-Rodriguez |
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We spent some time with Regina Diamond-Rodriguez, Mountainview Community Director of Transition for Rutgers University, who was there at the “birth” of FORTE House and has supported its progress right through to today. "Many people are released with no reliable network of support...FORTE House builds social support through community. In fact, it operates very much like a family home," said Mrs. Diamond-Rodriguez. Read more of our conversation, including how a college project became FORTE House and the reentry difficulties non-traditional students face, on our newly-launched blog. |
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We Thank Our First Visionary Contributors! |
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The FORTE House family wanted to find a way to thank and honor the donors whose significant contributions have made our home possible. Our first Visionary Contributors are Gillian "Jill" Knapp and her husband, James "Jim" Gunn. Both are Princeton University professors in the Department of of Astronomical Sciences. In addition, Jill is one of the co-founders of the Prison Teaching Initiative, which brings college-level instruction in math and sciences to currently incarcerated individuals. She even finds time to tutor some of our FORTE House residents! Learn more about our top contributor honors here. And our deep gratitude to Jill and Jim. |
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The Big Dream for 2021: FORTE House 2 |
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In a recent chat, Tia was asked about what she has in mind for the coming year -- beyond being Resident Reporter, keeping FORTE House going, advocating for further release of incarcerated individuals in NJ, and leading the Northern NJ Chapter of All of Us or None. "My dream is start work on our second FORTE House. I'd like to have a home for women. I know how hard it was for me to find housing that felt safe and secure. I'd like to make that happen for women who are creating a new life for themselves through education." | | |
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