Relationships Matter! Mentors Matter! Our 2025 Annual Appeal
“ All we have is kindness, and Partakers is a way to spread more of it!”
Dear Friends,
We so hope you and yours are well, and finding time to enjoy the season.
It is hard to believe that we are nearing the close of 2025. We want to take this moment to be sure you know how very much we value your friendship and support. Because of your belief in our work, we have the ability and the opportunity to reach and support so many who might otherwise not have the chance to realize their full potential. Each day Partakers IS making a difference in the lives of women and men impacted by the carceral system. As one of our graduates reminds us, “Thanks to Partakers, no one has to make this journey alone.”, and thanks to the extraordinary Partakers community of friends, mentors, and supporters we are working to be sure no one does. We are truly transforming lives and building futures-with the very real ripple effect of changing families and communities all while building lasting connections of empathy, understanding, and hope.
As this tumultuous year draws to a close, at Partakers we have much to celebrate and we are looking forward with optimism, joy, and gratitude for the very real lights of promise and transformation that we see in our students, graduates, and Mentors alike. We are building on our over 28 year legacy and commitment to providing resources, opportunities, and real futures for those impacted by the carceral system throughout our community. We are strident in our goal to ensure each of our students has every opportunity to build the lives they want for themselves and their families. We believe in them, and we want them to believe in themselves and their ability to achieve their future! In the process, because of our very unique relational model, we know that we are also changing the lives of our extraordinary Mentors, and succeeding in turning the negative narrative surrounding those impacted by incarceration. Relationships Matter! Mentors Matter!
As we enter our 29th year, we have much to be proud of and to celebrate. In this past year, in partnership with Boston College, Tufts University and Emerson College, we welcomed over 47 new Mentor teams to support our students in our College Behind Bars Program. We have also watched and cheered as 28 Partakers Reentry students, supported by 57 Mentors, graduated from our Partakers Reentry Program (PEP)- in collaboration with the Brandeis University Educational Justice Initiative. These graduates have started their new chapters; seeking stable housing and jobs, and giving back to their communities through organization and advocacy, as well as paying it forward by becoming teaching assistants and Mentors to their fellow PEP community. In 2026, we anticipate over 60 new PEP students will graduate from the program.
Our success has brought so many opportunities to partner with and support programs both for students pursuing education inside, and for those navigating the path of reentry. Thanks to your donations and friendship we have been working to broaden our foundation and strengthen our infrastructure to do this. This year, we welcomed new staff in key roles to help us build collaboration and community with more programming and mentoring teams.
We are so pleased to be working with the Billerica House of Corrections, for example, on an exciting collaboration that will engage a new community of incarcerated people. We are beyond thrilled that in 2026, Partakers, in partnership with Boston College, will once again be inside Framingham State Prison with mentoring teams for the women at the prison, helping to support them achieve their goal of higher education. This program fills a much needed and requested opportunity for the women in Framingham, and it is with joy that we will be there to support them.
We say it every day, “Our Mentors are the heart of our work.” This November we had the great pleasure of celebrating our Mentor community and welcoming new friends to our Mentor Celebration. With so much joy, we came together as a community to connect, share, honor and applaud the impact our Mentors have. We asked them to share what they love about being a Partakers Mentor.
Here are just a few of those responses which affirm what we have always known; the transformative experience of Partakers is as much about our Mentors as our students.
“Because I have a new relationship that has expanded my world”
“Seeing humans helping humans gives me real HOPE”
“I love meeting with my mentee– learning about her life and experience and being able to have a relationship of profound meaning to both of us”
Our community of over 400 volunteer Mentors has helped us support so many, and we have the goal to grow those numbers in the coming year. We hope you will spread the word and consider joining us in our work.
Once you are a part of the Partakers community, be it as a Mentor or student, you are forever family. We are dedicated to always being there for our students and our Mentors. This year, we were so honored to have welcomed graduates of Partakers programs, as well as long time Mentors, to our staff. Their journeys remind us that change happens one relationship at a time. They uniquely know the Partakers experience and are invaluable to us as we grow our work to build pathways to success for those inside and those returning home.
In over 28 years, Partakers has grown in extraordinary ways. Yet, our focus and mission remain true-no one should have to make this journey alone! We are looking forward with hope, optimism, and purpose, and we invite you to be part of the exciting days ahead for our small but powerful organization.
Please make your year-end gift today and help us continue to grow our vital and transformative work.
Thank you for believing in the Power of Partakers.
Together, We Can Make the Next Chapter Even Brighter for So Many!
With Deep Appreciation,
Arthur Bembury
Executive Director