OAR held the 4th Annual "Sing Out for Second Chances" event on rainy Sunday, October 20th at The Church at Clarendon in Arlington. The event featured three local faith-based musical groups that performed inspiring songs in celebration of second chances and fair chances. In between the performances, speakers from OAR shared information and stories about OAR's mission and programs. This event was a fundraiser for OAR and all of the gifts collected will directly benefit OAR's programs. Thank you to all who joined us especially our choirs featured below, and our host, The Church at Clarendon! Below are several photos from the event. To see all the photos from the event, click here to visit our official Facebook page.

Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill Episcopal, Shrine Monters 

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 11:15 Choir

Mount Zion Baptist Church, Men's Chorus

Special thanks to The Church at Clarendon for hosting this event!

Each year from October through early December, OAR hosts a Toy Drive to collect new, donated toys and gifts for children of parents incarcerated (ages newborn to 18 years) as a part of OAR's Project Winter Cheer program (formerly known as Project Christmas Angel) and to support all our programs. Project Winter Cheer was created in an effort to help bridge the gap between those involved in the criminal justice system and their children, as these relationships are often strained and challenged during and after incarceration. We need your help to make this a success: 

• Host a donation box! We are currently looking for businesses, organizations, and faith communities in the local area to host donation boxes to help collect gifts for the Toy Drive. Please contact Stephannie Ku at sku@oaronline.org if you are interested in hosting a donation box on behalf of OAR. 
• Host a gift card drive at your office! Often times gifts for teens are not easy to find, so we provide them with gift cards instead. The most needed are gift cards to places like Target and Amazon in increments of $10, $15, $20, or $25. Gift cards also help the parents to purchase much-needed items. Please contact Stephannie Ku at sku@oaronline.org if you are interested in hosting a gift card drive on behalf of OAR. 
• Donate gifts via OAR's Amazon Wish List! Purchase gifts and supplies through OAR's Amazon Wish List and send the items directly to the OAR office (1400 N. Uhle St, Suite 704, Arlington, VA 22201). Please include your name and contact information so we know who the donations are from. 
• Make a financial contribution! Your contributions will go towards purchasing items such as wrapping supplies and postage to mail gifts to children that live outside of the local delivery area. You can make a donation online on our website. Be sure to specify in the "Comments" section that you would like your donation to go towards OAR's Toy Drive or Project Winter Cheer. 

We hope you will join us in supporting children of parents incarcerated and their families this holiday season! Stay tuned on our website and social media for more information about OAR's Toy Drive and Project Winter Cheer. 

OAR's "Book of the Month" is So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo. In this book Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions readers don't dare ask and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.

Oluo is an exceptional writer with a rare ability to be straightforward, funny, and effective in her coverage of sensitive, hyper-charged issues in America. Her messages are passionate but finely tuned and crystalize ideas that would otherwise be vague by empowering them with aha-moment clarity. Her writing brings to mind voices like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Roxane Gay, and Jessica Valenti in Full Frontal Feminism, and a young Gloria Naylor, particularly in Naylor's seminal essay "The Meaning of a Word." 

If you are interested in checking out the book from our Race Equity Library, please stop by the OAR office and check it out!

-Written by Bryan Jackson, OAR's Director of Racial Equity and Inclusion

Guardian Outreach Calls/Data Entry for OAR's Project Winter Cheer Program

Wednesday, November 13, 2019, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Thursday, November 14, 2019, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Thursday, November 21, 2019, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Assist with guardian outreach calls and data entry for OAR's Project Winter Cheer program at the OAR office during the evening. We will provide you with detailed instructions and phone scripts and set you up at a work station. If you are interested in volunteering for this opportunity and are available for any of the dates listed above, please contact Stephannie Ku at sku@oaronline.org. 

Help Staff OAR's Table for St. Ann's World Day of the Poor and Transport Donations to OAR

Sunday, November 17, 2019, 9:45am-1:00pm (staff OAR's table)

Sunday, November 17, 2019, 1:00pm-3:00pm (transport donations)

OAR has been invited to host a table for St. Ann's World Day of the Poor on Sunday, November 17th. We need help staffing our table and transporting donations to the OAR office. All materials will be provided. You will need to pick up materials from OAR beforehand. If you are interested in helping transport donations back to the OAR office you will need a car/motorized vehicle for this opportunity. Additional details (location/time) will be provided. Please contact Stephannie Ku at sku@oaronline.org if interested. 

Help Transport Donations to OAR

Monday, November 18, 2019, 7:00am-9:00am; 11:30am-1:30pm; 3:30pm-5:30pm (3 shifts available)

Tuesday, November 19, 2019, 7:00am-9:00am; 11:30am-1:30pm; 3:30pm-5:30pm (3 shifts available) 

Help transport donations to the OAR office on Monday, November 18th and Tuesday, November 19th. Three shifts are available for each date. You will need a car/motorized vehicle for this opportunity. Additional details will be provided. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Bryan W. Jackson at bjackson@oaronline.org. 

Represent OAR at an Alternative Giving Bazaar

Sunday, December 8, 2019, 11:00am - 1:00pm 

Sunday, December 15, 2019, 11:00am - 1:00pm 

Westminster Presbyterian Church (2701 Cameron Mills Rd, Alexandria, VA 22302) has invited OAR to participate in their Annual Alternative Giving Bazaar.  1-2 volunteers are needed for the two dates above in December to staff the OAR table at the bazaar to share about OAR’s mission and programs. We will provide you all the materials and information you need. You will need to schedule a time to pick up the materials from the OAR office the week prior to the event. Please contact Stephannie Ku at sku@oaronline.org if interested in this opportunity. 

Pick Up Toy Drive Donation Boxes in the Community 

Monday, December 9, 2019, 9:00am - 5:00pm

Tuesday, December 10, 2019, 9:00am - 5:00pm

Drivers are needed on the dates above between the hours of 9am-5pm to help pick up OAR Toy Drive donation boxes from host-sites in the community. You will bring the donations back to the OAR office or the location where we will be holding our Project Winter Cheer Wrapping Party event (will provide further details). You do not need to commit the entire day, 1-3 hours will be a huge help. You will need your car/vehicle for this opportunity. Large vans are most helpful. Please contact Stephannie Ku at sku@oaronline.org for this opportunity. 

Set Up/Clean Up/Transport Supplies for OAR's Project Winter Cheer Wrapping Party Event

Tuesday, December 10, 10:00am - 5:00pm (set up)

Wednesday, December 11, 10:00am - 5:00pm (set up)

Thursday, December 12, 7:00am - 11:00am (transport packages to Merrifield USPS)

Thursday, December 12, 10:00am - 2:00pm (clean up) 

We are seeking volunteers to help us set up, clean up, and transport supplies and packages for our Project Winter Cheer Wrapping Party event. You are not required to stay for the entirety of the day, 1-3 hours would be helpful! This task will require some heavy lifting/moving of boxes. We can also use help with transporting packages we are mailing to the post office and back to the OAR office. More details will be provided. Please contact Stephannie Ku at sku@oaronline.org for this opportunity.