Art4Giving's Donation to Assisting Families Of Inmates (AFOI)

In 2022, Art4Giving funded a pilot program to bring together prisoners from the Virginia Correctional Center for Women and their children. Launched by non-profit Assisting Families Of Inmates (AFOI), the program turned a former warden’s residence into a “Family Reunification House,” where visits between mothers and children are now hosted for the first time. Art4Giving’s donation covered the total cost to furnish the house.

AFOI’s “Family Reunification House” offers an environment conducive to extended daylong visits between incarcerated mothers and their children. The house allows for true parent/child interaction, such as cooking and eating together, reading and playing educational games, and completing curriculum activities.

“Incarcerated mothers and their children strive to reconnect and strengthen their relationship prior to the mother’s reentry into the home at the end of their sentence. AFOI is proud to open the Family Reunification House at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women, the first of its type in Virginia, and we are very grateful to Ross and his family for this generous donation.”
– Fran Bolin. Executive Director, Assisting Families Of Inmates

AFOI’s mission is to support underserved families of the incarcerated by providing family assistance, meaningful visitation and programs that achieve positive, evidence-based outcomes. Research has shown that prisoners who receive regular visits are more likely to have a higher incidence of success after release; thereby lowering recidivism rates and increasing public safety.

“I am proud to say Art4Giving funded AFOI’s first project to bring mothers in prison and their kids together in a Family Reunification House, where they will spend quality visitation time, feeling a sense of normalcy and preparing for the moms’ release.” – Ross Ulbricht