The day after Buzz Fest comes with boxes, bags, bins, mail, and a little emotional whiplash. But beneath the mess is everything we carried home with us: work accomplished, connections deepened, unforgettable conversations, and the reminder that some weekends take a little longer to leave you.
This week, connection seemed to show up everywhere we lookedâfrom a new way of bringing people together, to familiar faces unexpectedly appearing in the news, to a book that crossed a prison wall and found its story making its way back home. Come along for this weekâs Sunday Read, straight from our 10th annual Volunteer Buzz Fest. đ
Adopt an Inmate is preparing to launch a new matching app built in partnership with UC Berkeleyâs Blueprint. Designed to make our most detailed and labor-intensive process more efficient without sacrificing care, the app will help prospective adopters identify thoughtful potential matches while keeping peopleânot technologyâat the center of every connection.
Twice in one week, familiar faces from inside prison appeared unexpectedly in the newsâand reminded me how powerful it is when the outside world gets to see the person beyond the prison number.
After Theo of Golden crossed a prison wall and became a shared reading experience, Teddyâs story reached the authorâs team – and led us back to the chapter at the heart of the novel.
This weekâs Sunday Read brings together poetry, shared books, transformation, remembrance, and a candid conversation about addiction inside prisonâalong with updates from the Adopt an Inmate hive and our upcoming 10th Annual Volunteer Weekend.
Our 10th Annual Volunteer WeekendâBee Fest 2026âis coming August 7â10. 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
Maurice was one of Adopt an Inmateâs 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 writeâand why every person deserves to be remembered by name.
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.
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 â one of the few gifts that can still cross prison walls.