Reentry Association Of Western NY - RAWNY

06/19/2026

Happy Juneteenth from RAWNY!

Today, we honor the significance of Juneteenth and celebrate freedom, resilience, and the progress made throughout our nation’s history.

As we reflect on the past, we remain committed to building stronger communities, creating opportunities, and supporting pathways to hope, healing, and second chances.

❤️💛💚🖤

06/06/2026

06/06/2026

🎓 Congratulations to the graduates of our latest Keen Conduct Cohort🎓

On Thursday, we celebrated an incredible milestone as participants completed 10 weeks of learning, growth, self-reflection, and personal development through our Keen Conduct Program.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Legislator Burgess for joining us and sharing inspiring words of encouragement and support with our graduates. Your presence helped make the evening even more meaningful.

A heartfelt thank you to Stephen Bryant for facilitating this transformative 10-week journey. Your dedication, guidance, and commitment to helping individuals recognize their potential and build a stronger future continue to make a lasting impact on our community.

We are also grateful to all of our guests, supporters, and community partners who attended and helped celebrate this achievement.

Most importantly, thank you to our participants. Your commitment, perseverance, willingness to grow, and active participation throughout the program are what made this graduation possible. Change takes courage, and each of you demonstrated that courage every step of the way.

At RAWNY, we believe that growth, accountability, and opportunity create pathways to success, and we are honored to be part of your journey.

Please join us in congratulating our newest KEEN Conduct graduates! 👏🎉

05/06/2026

RAWNY is proud to share the official recap video from our 2026 Reentry Conference — a powerful reflection of the collaboration, advocacy, and community partnerships that continue to move reentry work forward in Rochester and beyond.

This event brought together leaders, service providers, advocates, community members, and individuals with lived experience to highlight the importance of second chances, public safety, and equitable access to support for returning citizens. The energy, engagement, and commitment shown throughout the conference reminded us all why this work matters.

We extend our sincere gratitude to Kyran Ashford and the entire Ashford Films team for their incredible work capturing the spirit and impact of this event. Their creativity and storytelling beautifully showcase the voices, partnerships, and mission behind RAWNY’s work.

We invite you to watch and share the recap video as we continue building a community that is ready to welcome people home.

🎥 Watch the recap here:
https://youtu.be/0kXg5FED8Tw?si=hJOBLaZH6sMa8Ue_

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

04/26/2026

We’re excited to kick off a full week of events here at RAWNY, starting Monday at 10:00 AM!

Tomorrow’s focus is Employment & Vocational Training—a great opportunity to connect with resources, explore job options, and take steps toward your goals.

If you’re a RAWNY participant, we encourage you to come through, engage, and take advantage of everything being offered this week.

📍 All events will be held at RAWNY
🕙 Starts at 10:00 AM

We look forward to seeing you there! 💙

04/24/2026

04/23/2026

Honored to recognize Adam Bello and Monroe County with the Community Impact Leadership Award.

Reentry work is public safety work—and it takes real partnership to do it right. We’re grateful for a county that understands the importance of investing in people returning home and creating pathways to stability.

This is how we break cycles. This is how we build safer communities.

04/21/2026

Our Executive Director, Yari Rivera, had the opportunity to join Sheriff Baxter on his podcast along with one of our RAWNY participants.

It was a short but meaningful conversation highlighting what reentry really looks like and why this work matters.

Hearing directly from someone navigating reentry is always a reminder that with the right support, change is possible.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to share this space 💙

Check it out below 👇

01/25/2026

🚨 Office Closure Notice 🚨

Due to current weather conditions and the declared State of Emergency, the Reentry Association of WNY office will be closed on Monday, 1/26/26 to ensure the safety of our staff and community ❄️

At this time, we anticipate returning to normal operations on Tuesday, pending any additional updates.

Thank you for your understanding. Please stay safe, warm, and take care of one another 💙🙏