Livin It Project

04/28/2026

What a joy to hear about the amazing progress of our Livin' It graduates as they rebuild their lives. Congratulations to Livin' It graduate and Ambassador Kimberly Pace on winning the "Sisterhood of Strength" award for her commitment and service to the residents of Oxford House. She embodies Livin' Its mission of "Helping Women Heal, Grow and Thrive Together".

02/17/2026

We spend billions on incarceration.

We spend far less on the things that prevent it.

In the United States, it costs tens of thousands of dollars per year to incarcerate one person. In some states, it exceeds the cost of a year at a private university.

What if we invested that same energy upstream?

• Early childhood education
• Mental health care
• Substance use treatment
• Community-based support
• Re-entry services

Research consistently shows that high-quality early childhood programs reduce crime later in life. Access to mental health and addiction treatment reduces recidivism. Stable housing and employment support make communities safer.

We can keep building bigger cages.

Or we can build stronger foundations.

If we care about safety, families, and future generations — the conversation has to include prevention.

12/17/2025

Last night, we graduated 16 women from the Livin' It program at CCAP. It's a true celebration, complete with certificates, cookies, corny recovery jokes, love and support, and of course, the always popular gel pen gifts. Congratulations to the October 25 class of Livin It graduates! We are so proud of you!

12/08/2025

It was a pleasure to have a private audience with David Coogan, Author of "Writing Your Way Out" and "The Cambridge Companion to American Prison Writing and Mass Incarceration". David has utilized his resources as a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University to provide alternatives to incarceration and educate the public about the systemic challenges within our justice system. Kudos to you, David. Your work is inspiring!

Wednesday, a Richmond author will release a collection of essays that tell the story of mass incarceration from the prisoners' perspective.

11/22/2025

One of the first things we work on in the Livin' It program is listening both for and to our Inner Wisdom. It is important and hard work. We encourage exploring this through mindfulness, reflection, and journaling. We are always delighted and inspired by what comes forth. This writing, by one of our participants, Savannah J is shared below with her permission. Beautiful and wise words for us all.

My Inner Wisdom
By Savannah J
Livin' It Fall 2025

My Inner Wisdom can be confusing.
It can also be a bit amusing.

My Inner Wisdom can be very insightful.
But it sometimes gets very frightful.

My Inner Wisdom is improving and healing
from its fracture and bruising:
My inner Wisdom I refuse losing.

My Inner Wisdom is starting to wake,
Strong and powerful like an earthquake.

My Inner Wisdom is something no one can take.
This beautiful aura surrounding it you can’t shake.

My Inner Wisdom is Beautiful for sure.
My Inner Wisdom is so much more.

11/10/2025

This is why we show up every week for incarcerated women in Virginia!

11/05/2025

Last night's session was one for the books. For the first time we had a Livin It graduate come back as a volunteer to share her recovery story with the CCAP ladies. Thank you Kimberly Pace for delivering an authentic, honest, compassionate, encouraging and inspiring message. We are blown over by how well you are rocking your re-entry and recovery. This is the ultimate measure of success for our little program!

Livin’ It supports incarcerated women in Virginia through evidence-informed health and wellness education, paired with coaching and resources that empower positive behavior change and sustained motivation.

10/26/2025

It's always so exciting to meet a new class of Livin It participants. Last Tuesday's new recruits did not disappoint. We can't wait to see how we all grow together over these next 9 weeks! Of course, we can't post pictures of these amazing women, but we will let you imagine their awesomeness!

10/16/2025

A few weeks ago, Livin It volunteers gathered to watch the documentary Daughters, Co-Directed by Angela Patton, an RVA hero and CEO of Girls For A Change. What a brilliant and moving story. Please consider adding it to your watch list!

Daughters is coming to Spelman College! The Spelman College Social Justice Program will host an Impact Screening on Sunday, October 26th as a part of a greater Film Series hosted by Professor Anjanette Levert. Co-Director Angela Patton will join for a Q&A session afterwards. Learn more and reserve your tickets ➡️ https://heyor.ca/9N8kdS

10/10/2025

Several of our Livin It volunteers, along with five women from CCAP, had the opportunity to attend an inspiring event honoring the work of , author of The Many Lives of Mama Love.

It was such a gift for these women to hear Lara’s story firsthand, her journey of resilience and transformation after incarceration. These stories remind us of what’s possible and bring so much hope.

A heartfelt thank you to The LightHouse RVA for hosting and for the incredible work you continue to do in our community!