• Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 133
• Miles run today: 0
• Miles run this week: 26.2
• Miles run during the calendar month: 132.4
• Marathon distances completed: 13
• Weight: 163

Journal of activities:

Today I drove more than 200 miles around the Bay area to advance efforts I’m making to reverse the trend of mass incarceration. First I drove to Stockton so that I could meet with Patti Blosser, controller for the Golden State Lumberyard in Stockton.  The Stockton Lumberyard contracted with The Straight-A Guide Staffing Solutions division of our foundation to hire an individual who would’ve been considered at-risk of coming into the criminal justice system.

I hope to build relationships with other employers in Stockton and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Those relationships will result in more employment opportunities formerly incarcerated individuals can seize if they want to transition into the job market. Students from SFSU will work as interns to teach the Straight-A Guide Program that I developed, and I’ll also work with community-based organizations that have facilitators on staff who can teach. I’m grateful to Golden State Lumber for making the first jobs possible. By this time next year I expect to have many, many more employers who will assist with this vision of opening job opportunities for the formerly incarcerated.

Following my meeting with Patti, I met with Jerron Jordan and Sammy Nunez. Both men once served time but they now lead community-based organizations in Stockton. We spoke about our individual projects and the goals that we’re setting for 2014.

Then I drove to San Ramon and I met with Andrew Landini and Brooks Knudson from the media company Selling Up. Andrew and Brooks played essential roles in helping me develop the video portion of the Straight-A Guide. I picked up a few more sets of DVDs and I updated them on the receptivity we’re receiving in the marketplace for our life-skills program. It’s very exciting to make progress.