Avenues for Justice
100 Centre Street, Room 1541
New York, NY 10013
(917) 689-3785
©Copyright 2022 Avenues for Justice. All rights reserved.
Avenues for Justice (AFJ) wrapped up a record-breaking programmatic year, including a year-long celebration of the 45th anniversary of our incorporation. In 2024, AFJ served a record 673 Participants and surpassed our fundraising goals by 50%, raising more funds that any prior year. Our HIRE Up program connected Participants to career exploration experiences, job readiness events, job fairs and career panels from corporate partners like Workforce1 and BlackRock. Participants also enjoyed a host of enrichment activities including college visits, field trips to sporting venues and museums, cooking classes, and our annual picnic at Bear Mountain State Park.
AFJ's team was strengthened to position our Participants for success as we onboarded two new Court Advocates, a Development Manager, a Program and Activities Coordinator, a part-time Office Manager, and a Social Worker.
All of which would not have been possible without support from our Board of Directors, from you, our funders, corporate partners and allies.
Here’s the impact of the Power of Second Chances in 2024:
94% Success Rate:
Our program is effective and efficient. In 2024, 94% of our Participants were not reconvicted of a new crime within three years of enrollment in our program. In comparison, youth under 17, with no intervention services, have a 70% chance of being convicted of a new crime within three years of arrest. On average, it costs AFJ $6,300 to keep one Participant out of prison for the year, compared to the city/state spending more than $500,000 to incarcerate that same individual.
HIRE UP Workshops & Trainings
2024 Special Events
2024 special event initiatives including the “Angel” Golf Classic (June), the Baer Faxt Invitational (September), two Junior Board events (June and November) and of course AFJ’s largest fundraising event of the year, our annual Second Chance Awards Dinner (October), raised funds to put 60 Participants through our program for one year. Held at the Altman Building in Manhattan, it was an evening of celebration and hope for justice reform. The gala honored Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin J. Bragg Jr., with the Andrew Glover Justice Award, Rothschild & Co as our corporate honoree, and Darleen “Dede” Agar, Vice President of Goldman Sachs, as the Second Chance honoree for her social and criminal justice activism. The highlight of the evening was the celebration of this year’s 2024 Second Chance Award recipient Malik Rainey.
Finally, AFJ celebrated 45 years of providing second chances to youth in NYC with our 2024 legacy documentary, “An Avenue Named Justice: 45 Years of Second Chances.” The documentary explores what happens when a group commits to and fights for second chances and justice for all. Executive produced by AFJ’s special events partner, LaJoy Plans, the film features AFJ staff, Board members, allies and public officials. In November, we held a screening for friends of AFJ at our partner Stuart Cinema & Cafe.
“While the work truly never stops, we knew it was important to take a step back to celebrate all the hard work we’ve accomplished since Co-Founders Bob Siegal and Angel Rodriguez started the Andrew Glover Youth Program in the Lower East Side. This documentary showcases the best that AFJ has offered for the past 45 years. It is amazing to see how far we have come in providing court advocacy to hundreds of Participants.” ~Liz Frederick, Executive Director
Avenues for Justice Paid Internships
In 2023, AFJ created an inaugural internship initiative to place Participants in two cohorts (Spring and Fall) of 8-week paid internships. AFJ covered the cost of each Participant’s stipend during the internship placement. Due to the shorter schedule, several Participants were able to complete their internships while going to school or in tandem with another part-time job.
In 2024, AFJ placed 36 Participants in 49 paid internships which were 8-weeks long, gaining valuable work experience at 20 local businesses.
If you are a local business and would like to partner with us for internship placements, please contact AFJ's Job Developer Shantel Brooks at sbrooks@avenuesforjustice.org.
Looking Ahead in 2025
As we enter 2025, our theme for the year is Creating A More Just Future - for our Participants, for our team, and for the communities we serve. This comes after a year of celebration and tremendous growth, including our 45th anniversary, a celebration of the legacy and retirement of founding Executive Director, Angel Rodriguez, and new leadership with now-former COO turned Executive Director, Liz Frederick.
AFJ’s current growth trajectory began in 2020, partially due to renewed interest in criminal justice reform and social and racial justice movement efforts after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others. However, as we start 2025, the country again faces a number of racially motivated hate crimes, along with a climate of uncertainty---particularly for those navigating the court system. Avenues for Justice remains committed to providing a safe, supportive space that prepares our Participants for the future, while maintaining close connections with our full community of supporters.
