Blog
Your Sunday Read: | July 26, 2026
This weekās Sunday Read brings together poetry, shared books, transformation, remembrance, and a candid conversation about addiction inside prisonāalong with updates from the Adopt an Inmate hive and our upcoming 10th Annual Volunteer Weekend.
Our 10th Annual Volunteer Weekend Is Almost Here!
Our 10th Annual Volunteer WeekendāBee Fest 2026āis coming August 7ā10. Help us raise $1,000 for volunteer meals, project supplies, and, if funding allows, small appreciation gifts for the people donating their time to this work. Donate or share the campaign today: https://givebutter.com/QTYbGt
āDo You Need Help?ā: Addiction on the Inside
On this episode of ā40 Minutes With 40ā, founder “Free,” and an anonymous guest known as āBlackā discuss addiction from inside the Virginia DOC. From the fentanyl crisis during COVID to the āPaperā taking hold, today, Free and Black talk about the impact of drug use, the draw, and alternatives we can implement to better support addiction recovery among the DOC population.Ā
Maurice Was Here
Maurice was one of Adopt an Inmateās earliest adoptees. Four years after his death in federal custody, an old letter reminded us of the joy he felt when someone finally chose to writeāand why every person deserves to be remembered by name.
From Incarceration to Impact: Three Books by Dr. Eric Burnham
While serving a life sentence in Oregon, Dr. Eric Burnham earned his PhD and transformed decades of study, reflection, and lived experience into three books addressing addiction, trauma, emotional intelligence, and healthier relationships. As he approaches a parole hearing this September, we are proud to share the work he has created to help others heal and grow.
Shared Reading with Adopt an Inmate
Inspired by Teddy reading Theo of Golden aloud to his cellmate, Ai is introducing shared reading recommendations to help adopters and adoptees connect through stories ā one of the few gifts that can still cross prison walls.