SCRIP Second Newsletter 2026Rediscover Who You AreHartford, Connecticut
PartnershipNassau Financial Group, a valued SCRIP sponsor, at the 2026 gala.Community leadershipThea Montañez receives SCRIP’s Community Leadership Award from former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.Urban Male InitiativeTrusted voices and lived experience create space for truth, mentorship, and growth.
Impact at a glance
Meeting people at different stages of reentry and personal development.
Some participants needed the full ASCEND experience. Others were ready to begin with employment, case management, youth development, or ongoing community support.
One SCRIP graduate secured a human resources position through Accurate Personnel and now helps connect other individuals to hiring opportunities. This is full-circle progress: a participant becomes stable, employed, and positioned to help someone else move forward.
Stronger accountability
Turning records into one clear, measurable story.
SCRIP strengthened cohort tracking, case-management documentation, participant surveys, session logs, facilitator observations, and outcome-reporting tools. Apricot supports more consistent data collection. The next step is converting these records into a clear account of participant progress for funders, partners, and the community.
Programs in action
One mission. Multiple pathways.
01
ASCEND
A structured behavioral implementation model for adults 26 and older combining technology, trained facilitation, clinical collaboration, practical activities, and measurable feedback across five keys to stability.
02
COPE
A direct employment pathway offering preparation, job development, employer connections, referrals, and continued support. When deeper support is needed, employment progress can connect to ASCEND and clinical or case-management resources.
03
Youth Rise & Urban Echoes
An eight-week experience for young people ages 14–25 connecting personal growth, self-awareness, communication, accountability, identity, and digital storytelling.
04
Stick to the SCRIP & Community Initiatives
Ongoing community-based reentry support, consistent connection, mentorship, trusted voices, and candid conversation—including the Urban Male Initiative and developing opportunities for women and young people.
SCRIP welcomed Mary Jane Laboy as Program Manager in June 2026. Her leadership adds day-to-day coordination and delegation capacity, allowing the Executive Director to focus on partnerships, fundraising, quality assurance, correctional expansion, and long-term sustainability.
The organization continues to rely on case management, administrative and data support, clinical professionals, facilitators, career-development partners, volunteers, and a committed Board of Directors.
Recent milestones
Momentum inside facilities and across the community.
September 18
2026 Annual Gala
Supporters, honorees, community leaders, and graduate voices gathered to celebrate transformation and invest in what comes next.
ASCEND graduates together
Community and Correctional Impact
The graduates wearing blue robes completed ASCEND through SCRIP’s office-based cohort. The two men in the background are ASCEND graduates from Brooklyn Correctional Institution. Together, they represent one SCRIP community committed to accountability, stability, and successful reentry.
Moving forward
Correctional Expansion
SCRIP continues strengthening Connecticut DOC relationships, including work connected to Osborn Correctional Institution and responsible interest beyond Connecticut.
Partnership is the multiplier
Sustainable outcomes require a connected community.
SCRIP seeks employers willing to interview prepared candidates, workforce agencies sharing referrals and training resources, clinicians who understand defined collaborative roles, housing partners, mentors, sponsors, and funders who value both direct service and the infrastructure required to measure results.
Refer work-ready individuals to COPE and communicate available job openings.
Support transportation, work clothing, identification, technology, meals, and emergency stabilization needs.
Invest in data systems, clinical coordination, facilitator training, and outcome evaluation.
Sponsor a cohort, participant milestone, youth media project, or community event.
SCRIP receives a 2026 NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant in partnership with NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut.
Investments in the mission
Confidence in SCRIP’s mission, leadership, and potential.
Confirmed grant and contract support during SCRIP’s recent period of growth has included the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants, the Connecticut Social Equity Council, Hispanic Federation, the Connecticut Judicial Branch, the City of Hartford, and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.
These investments help SCRIP deliver programming, strengthen staffing and case management, improve data collection, support employment pathways, serve young people, and expand correctional and community-based reentry work.
Responsible stewardship
Growth paired with stronger oversight.
SCRIP is pairing program growth with stronger financial oversight, biweekly Finance Committee engagement, improved participant tracking, and a five-year sustainability plan. The goal is to translate every investment into documented services, measurable participant progress, and stronger long-term outcomes.
Challenges we are addressing
Building the operating strength to deliver, document, evaluate, and sustain.
Cash flow and delayed reimbursements
Payment schedules do not always match payroll, rent, insurance, facilitator costs, and urgent participant needs. SCRIP is strengthening financial planning and diversifying revenue.
One clear outcome story
SCRIP collects surveys, case notes, session logs, observations, employment activity, and goals. The next step is converting those records into one consistent final outcome report.
Capacity during growth
Expansion must be matched with trained staff, quality assurance, clear clinical boundaries, reliable technology, and administrative support.
Employment retention barriers
A job alone is not always enough. Transportation, housing, trauma, communication, family stress, mental health, and workplace adjustment can affect retention.
What comes next
Focused growth. Responsible expansion.
Deliver ASCEND through at least three cohorts each year with consistent assessment and reporting.
Strengthen the COPE employer network, referrals, and employment-retention support.
Continue correctional programming and prepare for additional facilities.
Explore national opportunities through early conversations with correctional and program leaders in Nebraska and Hawaii. No formal agreements have been finalized, but these discussions reflect growing interest in SCRIP’s approach beyond Connecticut.
Advance facilitator training, certification, quality assurance, and fee-for-service opportunities.
Expand Youth Rise and Urban Echoes while implementing a five-year plan and organizational dashboard.
Join the next chapter
Help someone move from readiness to opportunity—and from opportunity to lasting stability.
A referral, job interview, sponsorship, professional service, or unrestricted contribution can help expand SCRIP’s connected pathway.
