Amicus Ex-Offender Mentoring
Amicus Ex-offender Mentoring, recently merged with Volunteers of America Minnesota and Wisconsin, has trained volunteers to serve as mentors for individual inmates across Minnesota for nearly 50 years. By visiting, writing, and listening to their One to One matches, our volunteers have helped thousands of ex-offenders successfully transition back into society. Volunteers help inmates feel cared about, develop trust, and try out new behaviors by extending a hand of friendship.
Our One-to-One service is one of Minnesota’s most long-lasting and respected re-entry mentoring programs.
Many of our volunteers have created bonds that last decades, enriching the lives of everyone involved. The video below features the special bond and friendship between Greg and Kevin, two participants in the Amicus program.
After serving his sentence, Greg’s disability did not stop him from starting over, and he became the first person in his family to receive a second degree.
A talented poet and regionally successful hip-hop artist, Greg got caught up in a life of drugs and alcohol that led to a conviction. As a result, he lost his career, income, and most of his friends and family. While in prison, Greg started showing signs of Multiple Sclerosis. There was no darker time than this for Greg.
When people hit rock bottom, they need a friend to help lift them back up. The Volunteers of America Amicus volunteer mentoring program matched Greg with Kevin, who helped him make plans after prison. Amicus Reconnect services helped Greg with housing, education, and employment options, and Will’s Fund, the philanthropically-supported Amicus scholarship program, subsidized Greg’s schooling.
Correctional and Re-Entry Services
Homelessness and Prisoner Re-Entry
