You gave hope to those who needed it most.
Here's what comes next.

To our supporters and partners,

I owe you an update. It's been too long since I've reached out, and I want to be honest about why: I've been head down in the work, learning hard lessons, and building something I believe is going to change lives across Pennsylvania for generations.

Your investment made that possible. So before anything else — thank you. When you backed Pardon Me and the Pardons4thePeople Campaign, you bet on a formerly incarcerated filmmaker with no training, no team, and a big vision. Here's what that bet produced.

I wanted to share a full account of what we've been building, why I believe it matters, and how you can support the work if it resonates.

This work has never been more urgent. Economists are warning of a slowdown, and history is clear about who suffers most: low-income families of color are among the first to be hit and the last to recover. Nearly 10 million families with children are already economically vulnerable, and families of color make up more than 6 in 10 of them. A pardon does not just clear a name. It restores what was taken: housing, employment, opportunity. And in an economy where those opportunities are about to get harder to reach for everyone, positioning people now is not just the right thing to do. It is the practical thing to do.

• The Pardon Me Network, Launched. The first neighborhood-based pardon support system in Pennsylvania, now a model for communities statewide. We now have 2 operational hubs in Philadelphia providing free pardon coaching to justice-impacted people. Both are staffed by community members.
• 15+ Pardon Hubs Activated Across the State. Across Pennsylvania, we've helped activate the volunteer network that gets people connected to pardon coaching at no cost, with more coming online every month.
• A Shifting Policy Landscape. Our screenings and advocacy work helped build broader public awareness around pardons, contributing to conversations that are moving policy forward in Pennsylvania.
• Workforce Systems Engaged. Veterans Service Officers were trained statewide, presentations were made at the PA Workforce Development Association conference, and CareerLinks offices were connected to Pardon Projects across rural Pennsylvania.
• Press Coverage. KYW, The Philadelphia Citizen, Resolve Philly, the Social Innovations Journal, and multiple outlets statewide.
• 50% of Campaign Goal Raised. The People's Media Fund has invested $30,000 in this campaign. We've also created a Discussion Guide, pardon brochures, and application checklists now used by hubs across our network.

The most important thing I've learned is that the pardon system is not designed for the people who need it most. It's slow, confusing, and full of gatekeeping that has nothing to do with whether someone deserves a second chance.

The second thing I've learned is that community-based coaching works. When someone who has been through this process walks another person through it, someone who looks like them, who lives nearby, who understands what's at stake, the completion rate goes up. The quality goes up. The hope goes up.

The third thing is harder to admit: I've been trying to do too much alone. I've been the filmmaker, the coordinator, the trainer, the fundraiser, and the public face of this campaign. That's not sustainable, and it's not what this work deserves. So this year, we're building infrastructure. Not just more hubs, but the systems that let hubs run without depending on me personally.

The Pardon Us Campaign runs on two engines working together:

Through grant funding, we've been able to build out the team behind this work. These are the people helping make Do Moore Good run.

I didn't come from money, networks, or nonprofit training. Everything we've built has come from your belief in this work and the community's hunger for second chances. We need your continued support to keep going.