Testimonials
“Thank you for your work with J.S. over the last four months. J.S. had been ordered to report to the Evening Reporting Center (“ERC”) through the Department of Juvenile Services as a condition of his release back to the community in April 2022. Unbeknownst to even me, We Rise! took the initiative to connect with J.S. in the early days of his attendance with ERC. Your organization’s participation with J.S. has continued to provide him with opportunities for mentorship, self-improvement, and access to experiences and resources that were not previously available to him. Your presence in court today was immensely helpful in conveying J.S.’s potential to the Magistrate and showing that our kids are more than charges and mistakes on paper. Looking forward to continuing to work with you for J.S. and working with you more in the future!”
— Rachel N. Johnson, Esq., Baltimore County Office of the Public Defender
“Thank you so much for your work with T.R. over the last several months. We Rise! started its work with T.R. while he was detained at the Charles Hickey Jr. School pending his transfer hearing. Your organization’s mentoring and support of him played an essential role in securing an agreement which transferred his matters to the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court. T.R. has been really excited about the programming We Rise! has offered at Hickey, and he and his family are incredibly grateful that you are eager to work with him both during and after his completion of placement. The report you prepared documenting his progress with We Rise! was incredibly helpful in demonstrating to the State’s Attorney’s Office how T.R. was using his period of detention to change his life, and we are so thankful that you came out of your way to show your support at Court. I have already spoken to my other clients at Hickey about participating in We Rise!’s programming—you are providing a truly invaluable service. I look forward to working with you more in the future!”
— James M. Brockway, Assistant Public Defender III Maryland Office of the Public Defender, District VIII, Juvenile Division
Thank you for the tremendous job you did with the students here at Mervo. You poured yourself into our students and I know that the yare better because of that experience. So many people want to give up on our young people but you and your organization, We Rise, saw a need and an opportunity to give back to some of our students. Your interaction with our students was so sincere and genuine. Every week you provided an idea and topic that sparked their interest and gave them something to think about and move towards. I know that the juniors, who worked with you this year, are looking forward to working with you next year. I would also like to thank you for the certificates and the $50.00 gift cards that you provided our seniors. Each of them expressed their sincere thanks and I hope that they reached out to you. I appreciate my certificate andPanera Bread gift card. You must know that I love their wild rice soup. Again, thank you for your time and I look forward to working with you next school year. If there is anything that Mervo can do to help with the plans for next year, please reach out to me. Enjoy your summer and continue to giveback to our young people. They need to know that there are organizations that believe in them and want to see them succeed in life. Giving them precious jewels to think about and work towards is what they need.
— Jennifer Perkins, Mentor Program, Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School