by Melissa Bee | Jul 27, 2025 | From the Staff
We’re doing a quick roll call to help us stay organized and updated. if you’re a current or past Adopt an Inmate volunteer, you should have received an email with a link to a short Volunteer Check-In Form.
š Didnāt see the email?
Search your inbox (or spam folder) for:
- Subject: Quick Check-In: Still With Us?
- Sender: volunteer@adoptaninmate.org
š New to all this?
We just published a Volunteer FAQ with answers to the most common questions, including what types of roles we have, how to get started, and what the bee theme is all about.
Have a question we didnāt answer? Let us know, weāre always improving.
by Melissa Bee | Jul 27, 2025 | From the Staff, Your Sunday Read
Find a cool breeze and let the world slow down for a minute. Hereās your Sunday read.
What Still Matters, and Whoās Still Here
Hi friends,
This week, weāre leaning intoĀ consistency and community.
We published a new Volunteer FAQĀ and a sent a quick check-in form to all our helpers, because our hive only works when we can find each other. Read about that here.
We also brought back a classic post by Rick,Ā What Really Matters, now republished asĀ What Still Matters.
Itās a quietly powerful reflection about what inspired Rick to want to start Adopt an Inmate. Sadly, the kinds of stories Rick witnessed inside are still happening every day.
Thatās why weāre asking for your voice.
As part of our Drop a Dime on InjusticeĀ campaign, weāre collecting real stories from those directly impacted by incarceration. You can respond to three simple prompts in ourĀ Good, Bad, Change form, or go deeper and share your experience in your own words through ourĀ Share Your Story form.
šĀ Birthday Alert: Kurtis!
Monday, July 28, (tomorrow!) is Kurtisās birthday!
Kurtis is one of the most thoughtful and generous souls weāve ever met behind the walls. If you’ve read the ongoing Kurtis & Joe series, you know. If you haven’t, start here. Letās send a little of that love back his way.
You can reply to this email with your message, or use ourĀ Contact Form and weāll make sure he gets it.
Ā Want to honor him in a meaningful way? This is the perfect time to purchase his book, Poems From Within,Ā for yourself, or to send to someone inside who would be uplifted by his words.
We need your input. Your insights. Your heartbreak. Your ideas.
It all still matters.
Thanks for being part of this work. YOU matter.
In solidarity,
The Adopt an Inmate Team
š Truth. Connection. Resistance.
Quote of the Week:
What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves.Ā What really mattersĀ is helping others win too. Even if it means slowing down and changing our course now and then.
Fred Rogers
Visit ourĀ LinktreeĀ to find everything weāre sharing, watching, posting, and building.
āļøĀ Take the Quiz ā How much do you know about U.S. prisons?
š£ļøĀ Add Your VoiceĀ ā Submit your responses to ourĀ Good, Bad, ChangeĀ poll
š¤²Ā Get InvolvedĀ ā Help behind the scenes
šĀ Donate StampsĀ – SOS: Stamp out Silence!
ā¤Ā GiveĀ ā Help us build a world where no one is forgotten
Forward This EmailĀ ā Someone needs to see this
by Melissa Bee | Jul 26, 2025 | Good Bad Change, Letters From Prison
We first shared this letter from Rick in 2017, titled What Really Matters, when he was still inside. The good news: he came home about two years later. The bad news: the stories that broke his heart then still flood in today.
Thatās why we launched our campaign, Drop a Dime on Injustice. We need your voices, not just to raise awareness, but to demand better. If youāve experienced the prison system yourself (or someone you love has), we invite you to share your story. Your voice matters, and it could be the one that opens someoneās eyes.
You can submit two ways (we welcome both):
1. Good, Bad, Change
Three simple but powerful prompts:
The Good: Whatās one positive thing youāve seen or experienced in prison?
The Bad: Whatās one negative thing youāve seen or experienced in prison?
The Change: If you could change one thing about prison, what would it be?
This format is quick, accessible, and great for lifting up many voices at once.
Adopt an Inmate
*Good Bad Change*
PO Box 1543
Veneta, OR 97487
2. Full Story
For those who want to share more deeply, this format lets you write your full story in your own words. It can be long or short, focused or wide-ranging, whatever you need it to be.
Weāre especially interested in the larger picture. What were the barriers that made it harder to thrive: poverty, lack of access to housing, education, mental health care, or support systems. What systems failed you before the legal system ever got involved?
You can also respond to these general prompts:
- What do you wish the public knew about incarceration?
- What has surprised you most about the prison system?
- Whatās a moment youāll never forget?
š¬ Share your story
Your voice is your power.
We know thereās a heavy stigma around incarceration, and real fear of retaliation for speaking up. If you want your story to remain anonymous, just let us know in your submission. We will always respect your privacy.
This is how change begins. By telling the truth.
by Melissa Bee | Jul 22, 2025 | From the Staff, Your Sunday Read
From the Hive: A Tiny Bee Fest, a Tiny Surprise, and Some Poems You Need to Read
Hi Friends,
I’m sending this a little later than usual, writing from the final full day of Bee Fest, our annual summer volunteer retreat. This oneās the tiniest yet (well, aside from the very first few, when it was just Leah and me). This year itās just Leah, Liz, and me, with a special appearance or two by our volunteer Scott, Eugene local mail-processing ninja, who drops in to share lunch and take out the trash (thank you Scott!). But hey, what we lack in numbers, we make up for in meaning.
This week was all about preparing, hosting, and soaking in the energy of doing the work together. A few highlights:
- We kicked things off with side-by-side pedicures, which Iāve now declared our official Bee Fest initiation ritual.
- Someday we’ll be able to afford to have these things catered, but until then, cooking for these working events is my love language. (And my secret strategy is to serve everything just late enough that by the time it hits the table, they’re so hungry it tastes like a Michelin-starred meal. Hunger is the best seasoning.)
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā 
-
Our sassy Director of Wellness and Spontaneous Joy (Liz) declared a mandatory leg stretch and herded us out the door for a much-needed evening walk to the 5th Street Public Market in Eugene, and then (as if she hadnāt already earned sainthood) bought us ice cream.
- I had to dash home mid-retreat to grab my iMac because the borrowedĀ fossil laptop I was using was like typing underwater with mittens. And yesā¦ I forgot the power cord. So, back I went. š¤¦š¼āāļø
- And the best surprise of all:Ā Liz is expecting baby #3! Last year she came with her 3-month-old little bundle of sweetness. This year, sheās carrying the next little bee.
One moment I want to share especially:
While processing mail together, Leah opened a piece of writing from Dortell Williams, an incarcerated writer in California that stopped us cold. His transformation is a reminder of whatās possible, and why this work matters.
Read the piece by Dortell Williams
And speaking of poems…
We also want to pause and honor the life ofĀ Andrea Gibson, who passed away last week, which has had me in my feels. If youāve followed us for a while, you’re familiar with Kurtis & Joe. Kurtis (in Illinois) is also a published poet (you can find his bookĀ Poems From Within,Ā along with a dozen or so sudoku books on Amazon). I had sent a couple of her books to him since he started writing us, and had to break the news when we spoke just before Bee Fest.
One poem in particular of Andrea’s that hit me hard when I first read it, begins:
āThe kindest thing I ever did
was to decide to never think this thought:
As soon as the cancer goes away, Iāll start my life.
ThisĀ isĀ my life.ā
Iāve done that a LOT in my life.
“As soon as my brother gets out.”
“As soon as my husband gets out.”
(Spoiler: That chapter closed differently than Iād hoped.)
“As soon as this organization gets funded…”
Itās a trap that keeps us in waiting rooms.
Thanks for the reminder, Andrea.
Then there’s this line:
āDying is the opposite of leaving.ā
This is yourĀ Bee SidesĀ invitation to go down the rabbit hole. SearchĀ Andrea Gibson. Because Iām not linking everything.
Look up that line up there in bold ^^. Youāll find a video of Andrea, reading a poem outside under a tree.
Find it. Watch it. Cry. Repeat.
To wrap up this Bee Fest Edition, just a reminder that studies consistently show volunteering can reduce stress, improve mood, and even lower blood pressure, all while building community and purpose.
If you need a little motivation or a reason to start your own Bee Fest someday – go ahead and Google something like “power of volunteering for health.” Youāll find studies, personal stories, and lots of inspiration.
Thank you for being here. Back in the Roffice Tuesday, after the buzz settles.
With gratitude,
Melissa & the Adopt an Inmate team
Quote of the Week:
Without volunteers, we’d be a nation without a soul –Ā Rosalyn Carter
Image by Beverly Buckley on Pixabay
by Melissa Bee | Jul 20, 2025 | From the Inside, Inmate Contributors, Poetry From Prison
During our 2025 Volunteer Bee Fest weekend, Leah opened a piece of writing from Dortell Williams, an incarcerated writer in California. His words, his transformation is a reminder of whatās possible, and why this work matters.
Ā Ā 
by Melissa Bee | Jul 13, 2025 | Your Sunday Read
Your Sunday Read
July 13, 2025 | from Adopt an Inmate
Notes From the Roffice
We didnāt publish any new blog posts this week, but not because thereās nothing to say. The short version: we’re still dealing with multiple leaks that had gone undetected until it turned into a major fiasco, and while the mitigation phase is almost done, the rebuild is yet to begin. Itās been a steady process, loud and messy, but progress is happening, and the workers are so knowledgeable, making the process as painless as possible.Ā
Thereās a saying that two moves equal one house fire in terms of how much stuff you lose. Water damage is maybe somewhere in between, but it has a similar effect: it forces you to ask whatās worth replacing. Weāre looking at each item and asking: Does this deserve my time, my space, my energy? And in many cases, the answer is no. Thereās some peace in that. Lightening the load is painful, but satisfying. And you don’t have to have a fire or a leak to do it.
Bee Fest Is Coming
Every summer, we host a small in-person gathering for our closest volunteers ā what we fondly call our Bee Fest. This yearās will be our smallest yet, and intentionally so: just the three of us (Leah, Liz, and myself), with a possible visit from a new volunteer whoāll be helping with the blog.
These are working weekends, full of focused time for tasks that keep our mission moving. But theyāre also a rare and cherished chance to sit down together, share meals, laugh, and remember why we do this work.
Life has been full for all of us with big projects, new beginnings, and the emotional weight of the news cycle. Like many of you, weāve been feeling the heaviness of the world, and weāre grateful for this pocket of time to reconnect and recenter. Weāre so lucky to have each other, and this time to say thank you, face to face.
We cover Bee Fest expenses out of pocket, so even a small donation goes a long way. Your support helps with our weekend rental, meals, and materials that make this weekend such a critical part of our year. Every gift helps us get more done, together.
Letters From Prison: Kurtis & Joe (Part 4 Coming Soon)
Weāve already shared a few early posts from Kurtis. Soon, weāll begin sharing letters from Joe too. I recently asked Joe to share more of his story, especially the time between losing his wife and the events that landed him in prison.Ā
Joeās response has been worth waiting for. I already knew he was kind and decent. What I didnāt know was how remarkably brave he is. You’re going to love this. Thatās all Iāll say for now.
Protect Each Other. Report Injustice.
As immigration raids and detentions ramp up across the country, weāre sharing resources this week that help communities: know your rights, document violations, and protect your neighbors.
Mobilize USA: Events, Petitions, and Volunteer Opportunities
Apps to Know
KYR: Know Your Rights for Immigrants: (Designed for iPad) A Guide for Immigrants in the U.S.
Raids Alerts (Migra Watch):Ā Real-time reports of ICE activity in your area.
ICE Immigration Alerts:Ā (Google Play):allows you to report raids or potentially illegal immigration searches. You can register for alerts in your area to find out when you should be concerned, or go to the location to stage a peaceful protest.
MigraCam: (Apple) Designed to help people living in border communities notify their family members and friends of their encounters with law enforcement and immigration officials. MigraCam records incidents and streams them live to a list of pre-determined emergency contacts with a customized message.
MigraConnect Case Tracker: (Google Play): Get the latest updates on your immigration case status.
Know Your Rights Guides
ACLU: Know Your Rights (Immigrants)
ILRC Red Cards:Ā Print and carry cards to assert your rights during encounters.
Make a Preparedness Plan:Ā Instructions on what to do with your preparedness plan, and instructions to download signal, and make a group with your emergency contact (i.e. the people who have your preparedness packet)
A Classic You Might Have Missed: Summer Heat in Arizona Prison
As Always
Thank you for reading, sharing, and showing up. If youāve been with us a long time, you know this work is personal, messy, beautiful, and vital. And we canāt do it without each other.
š With gratitude,
Melissa + the Adopt an Inmate team
Quote of the Week:
“Preservation of oneās own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.” – CĆ©sar ChĆ”vez
Our Linktree is live! One easy place to find everything weāre sharing, watching, posting, and building.
āļø Take the Quiz ā How much do you know about U.S. prisons?
š£ļø Add Your Voice ā Submit your responses to our Good, Bad, Change poll
š Donate Stamps – SOS: Stamp out Silence!
ā¤ Give ā Help us build a world where no one is forgotten
ā© Forward This Email ā Someone needs to see this
by Melissa Bee | Jul 6, 2025 | From the Staff, Your Sunday Read
About the Sunday Read
This email goes out once a week on Sundays to recap what we published during the week (Monday ā Saturday). Whether we posted one, or a dozen, Itās your quick way to stay in the loop without getting overwhelmed.
Weāre now posting each edition here on the blog as well, so no one misses out.
Prefer to get it by email? Subscribe on the right.
We donāt send notifications for every post, just one weekly digest.
A Note From the Roffice
Yes, I said roffice. If youāve ever imagined a buzzing office full of Adopt an Inmate staffers hard at work, brace yourself. The truth is less āopen-concept workspaceā and more āone overheated bee in a makeshift office.ā Thatās right,Ā rofficeĀ = bedroom + office. This week, itās been less ācreative sanctuaryā and more ādisaster zone.ā
Last week, I told you weād discovered water damageĀ andĀ needed a new roof. Well, buckle up they said, things escalated. There are now spaceship-like plastic enclosures sealed with zipper doors, marked āDO NOT ENTERā (we’re obeying). Workers in hazmat suits have been removing drywall and flooring and cabinets while very loud āair scrubbersā pump out constant heat just in time for the arrival of real summer. And did I mention we still donāt have a kitchen sink, laundry room, or working ice maker?
Fact-Check Friday (Unofficial Edition): Insurance Logic
Q:Ā Does homeowner’s insurance cover any of this?
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: No.
Yes! Unless the water came from the sky, the pipes, the ground, the roof, or any part of your actual home. In that case, no. Duh.
Your insurance company will thoughtfully explain why none of those count.
Oh theyāll sympathize with your situation, and then remind you that itās your fault for not anticipating waterās behavior, and also that your deductible is $5,000 and your claim is now closed.
Displacement coverage? Haha, good one.
Food reimbursement?Ā Absolutely! Just keep your receipts. For food youĀ normallyĀ eat, food youĀ wouldnātĀ normally eat, in an amount you canāt guess, from a meal you didnāt want.
Stay tuned for next weekās Fact-Check Friday, where we may tackle something equally uplifting like whether mail bans in prisons are about security or sadism.
Despite all that, here’s what we managed to share:
Letters From Prison: Kurtis & Joe, Part 3: Small Wonders is the most moving entry yet. Kurtisās friendship with Joe deepens as more of Joe’s story is revealed.
Civics 101: Independence Day Edition – On a day when fireworks fly in the name of freedom, we shared ourĀ Immigration Status Comparison TableĀ to clarifyāÆwho is actually here legally, whoās (normally) at risk for deportation, and what all those U.S. immigration categories really mean.
Art From Prison: Johnny in FloridaĀ sent in a beautiful drawing that captures the feeling of yearning for freedom.
We want to hear from you! Whether itās a response to one of the weekās posts, your own immigration or advocacy story, or a tale of homeownerās insurance chaos. Drop a comment and let us know weāre not alone out here.Ā Also: What do you call your home office?
Note: Scroll alllll the way down (yes, past the āYou May Also Likeā goodies) to find the comment box. Itās there, we promise.
With love and gratitude,
The Adopt an Inmate Team
Truth. Connection. Resistance.
by Melissa Bee | Jul 5, 2025 | From the Inside, Letters From Prison
āļø Letters From Prison is an ongoing series based on real messages we receive from inside.
Have one to share? See link below.
When Joe first entered prison, he was lost. But thanks to Kurtis, he wasnāt alone.
In Part 2, we learned about Joe’s rule that shaped their daily lives. Part 3 picks up the story from there.
If you missed the earlier parts, start with Part 1 hereĀ and Part 2 here.
Coming Soon:
Part 4 in the Kurtis & Joe series.
Share a Letter From Prison For this series
Our Linktree is live! One easy place to find everything weāre sharing, watching, posting, and building.
āļø Take the Quiz ā How much do you know about U.S. prisons?
š£ļø Add Your Voice ā Submit your responses to our Good, Bad, Change pollĀ
š¤² Get Involved ā Help behind the scenes
š Donate Stamps – SOS: Stamp out Silence!
ā¤ Give ā Help us build a world where no one is forgotten
Scroll down and comment below if youāve ever had a friend like this
by Melissa Bee | Jul 5, 2025 | Art From Prison, From the Inside
This piece came to us from Johnny in Florida. Like many artists behind bars, Johnny uses his creativity to process life, express what words canāt, and stay connected to the world outside. Every detail speaks to the heart about what it feels like to be disconnected from the outside world.
Art like this reminds us: Beauty thrives even under the harshest conditions.
We accept submissions by mail or email from incarcerated artists or their outside supporters.
Email: submit@adoptaninmate.org
Snail mail:
Adopt an Inmate
Art Campaign
PO Box 1543
Veneta, OR 97487
by Melissa Bee | Jul 4, 2025 | Civics 101, From the Staff
Independence Day Edition: Oh, The Irony
TL;DR: America wouldnāt exist without immigrants, but they’re being demonized by people whose own families came here the same way. Letās set the record straight.
Because of the growing push to sanitize America and make everyone here look, speak, and believe one way, entire communities are being criminalized and blamed for systemic issues that are not their fault.
While we light fireworks in honor of freedom and the fight for independence, the facts about immigration are twisted beyond recognition.
Take this clip where Sam Seder calls out Patrick Bet-David and crew for falsely claiming over 2 million Social Security numbers were handed out to undocumented immigrants.
Spoiler: they werenāt.
Those SSNs were issued under Enumeration Before Entry (EBE), a legal, Trump-era program that assigns Social Security numbers to lawfully-admitted immigrants before arrival, so they can start working, paying taxes, and complying with U.S. systems from day one.
Seder: “The amount of misinformation, from every single person, all of you, was astonishing to me.”
To add to the level of misinformation here, PBDās own family benefited from the same kind of program. But sure, go off.
TRUTH: There is no America without immigrants.
Immigrants are essential to the U.S. economy, making up a large share of the workforce in agriculture, construction, caregiving, and service industries. Many pay taxes, including undocumented workers, contributing billions annually through payroll and sales taxes. And contrary to the noise, immigrants commit fewer crimes than native-born citizens.
Letās be clear about whoās being targeted.
The majority of immigrants having their doors kicked in or being forced into unmarked vans by armed, masked cowards arenāt āillegalsā hiding in shadows. Theyāre people who came here legally, followed the rules, and work the hardest jobs in the country, growing, picking, building, and cleaning. Theyāre not stealing anything.
Unless your ancestors were Indigenous to this land or were brought here in chains, you are here because someone in your family immigrated.
If we are to celebrate one truth, we must hold the others with equal weight.
We created this simple table to clarify the difference between legal immigration statuses.
Immigration Status Comparison
U.S. Citizen
Already a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization. Protected from deportation.
Green Card Holder
A lawful permanent resident. Can apply for citizenship after 5 years, or 3 if married to a U.S. citizen. Deportable only for serious crimes or fraud.
Visa Holder
āVisa holderā covers many categories – some allow work (like H-1B), others donāt (like tourist visas). Most are temporary, and overstaying or violating terms can lead to deportation.
Refugee (legal and protected under U.S. and international law)
Applies from outside the U.S. and is legally admitted, usually through a UN or international resettlement program. Must apply for a green card after 1 year, and may apply for citizenship after 5 years total in the U.S.Ā Deportation is rare but possible.
Asylee
Applies from within the U.S. or at the border. Must apply for a green card after 1 year of asylum; can apply for citizenship 5 years after that. Protected status, but not immune from deportation.
TPS Holder
Temporary Protected Status is granted during crisis in oneās home country. Must reapply regularly and have a valid work permit (EAD). Canāt apply for citizenship through TPS alone.
DACA Recipient
DACA offers temporary protection and work authorization with an EAD. It is not a legal immigration status and can be changed or ended through executive action. Not a pathway to citizenship.
Undocumented
Entered the country without inspection or overstayed a visa. No legal status, work authorization, or path to citizenship. High risk of deportation.
Have a myth youād like us to fact-check next? Let us know.
āļø Take the Quiz ā How much do you know about U.S. prisons?
š£ļø Add Your Voice ā Submit your responses to our Good, Bad, Change poll.
š Donate Stamps – SOS: Stamp out Silence
ā¤ Give ā Help us build a world where no one is forgotten
Ā Want to honor him in a meaningful way? This is the perfect time to purchase his book, 
Ā 
