Week 9: Preparing the Inside for Life Outside & Corporation Developments

Welcome back, everyone! This week, I had the distinct privilege of visiting The Fortune Society for the fifth time, where I conducted an in-depth interview with Seán Dalpiaz, the Director and Senior Team Member of the Osborne Association. Our discussion delved into the complex and often challenging realities of reentry work, particularly his association’s belief that the process of reintegration begins not upon an inmate’s release, but, rather, from the moment they are incarcerated. Mr. Dalpiaz expounded upon his association’s overarching philosophy with clarity and conviction, emphasizing how indispensable it is to provide incarcerated individuals—especially those nearing the culmination of their sentences—with the tools and services necessary to reintegrate into society with their intrapersonal shortcomings addressed and their financial standing secured. The Osborne Association, in collaboration with The Fortune Society, offers pre-release programming that equips individuals with documentation integral to identification, employment, and shelter; among others resources, The Osborne Association specifically helps inmates obtain their social security cards, birth certificates, and housing vouchers, while also providing educational and mental health services within prison walls. Without the early intervention that Osbourne seeks to (and already) provides, far too many returning citizens, Mr. Dalpiaz noted, experience prolonged homelessness, unemployment, and a cycle of institutional dependency that hinders their full reintegration, thus perpetuating recidivism.

Following my deliberation with Mr. Dalpiaz, this week posed a significant turning point for my nonprofit organization, Food for Fairness, which is now entering a transformative stage of growth. In the wake of earlier funding challenges, I successfully raised the capital necessary to file for incorporation and tax-exempt status, all while assembling a steadfast leadership team almost entirely comprised of a teen core—including a teen CFO, a teen COO, and an experienced accountant—to oversee daily operations and maintain long-term compliance to state bylaws and ordinances – particularly in adherence to IRS regulations. With the support of my legal counsel, I am proud to report that the 501(c)(3) application and ancillary documentation required for certification has been finalized; as of now, we are awaiting a response from the IRS and the New York State Government to confirm my organization’s registration as incorporated, tax-exempt NPO. This process has not only strengthened the organizational structure of Food for Fairness, despite some initial (and most likely forthcoming) setbacks, but has also reaffirmed my commitment to building a community-driven nonprofit fundamentally rooted in the principles of sustainability, youth leadership, and collective uplift. 

The opportunity to collaborate with individuals like Deshawn Kenner of The Fortune Society’s reintegration housing division—whom I wrote about in great detail in last week’s blog post—continues to grow increasingly promising. Mr. Kenner’s work through his own grassroots initiative, Community Compassion, is rooted in both lived experience and structural acumen. As aforesaid, his dedication to equitable reintegration undeniably reflects the foundational values of my organization, and I remain thrilled that our plans to assemble joint community roundtables and direct-aid events are progressing. With Food for Fairness on the path to becoming a certified nonprofit, this partnership stands to combine nutritional relief with civic empowerment—ensuring that the most marginalized among us, particularly those of whom were recently released from incarceration, are served, informed, and mobilized toward a more just society.