OAR Newsletter: A New (Fiscal) Year

Hello there!

Stay cool with this month's OAR Newsletter.
We've got a lot of exciting news!

The Results of Teamwork

Teamwork can move mountains. In the last year, the OAR team supported hundreds of justice-involved individuals to obtain essential services, including 30 requests for ID assistance, over 280 requests for emergency food assistance, over 350 instances of transportation assistance, and over 290 instances of emergency clothing assistance. We can get a lot done in a year, but we can’t do it without you. Check out www.oarnova.org to find out how you can support justice-involved individuals and families in our community.

[Pictured above: Rosa Flores and her mom, Dora Marroquin, representing OAR at the Leesburg Latino Festival]

New Virginia Laws as of July 1

New laws went into effect in Virginia on July 1. While there are many, we’d like to mention the one regarding solitary confinement. While this new law helped currently incarcerated folks a little, advocates voiced concern that the bill didn’t go far enough to protect them from the unnecessary trauma caused by solitary confinement. Their concerns are specifically in response to the scrapped provision that would have capped the number of consecutive days allowed in solitary confinement to 15, which is considered torture according to the U.N.

Thank you, Evan!

Evan Vahouney has been on a real journey with OAR. Starting a decade ago as an instructor to clients inside the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, Evan believed in the mission. After a few years of service, he wanted to do more so he applied to become an OAR Board member. From there he went on to serve as Treasurer, Vice Chairman, and most recently as Chairman of the Board, where he has served for the last four years. His term ended on June 30th, and we just want to thank Evan for everything he's done for OAR clients over the years. It's been a true gift having you serve with us.

Welcome, Jemal!

Jemal Finney joined the OAR Board two years ago and has served as the Marketing Committee Chair and as Secretary for the past year. After serving four years in the Air Force, Jemal received his MBA from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, a Masters in Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and a Bachelors of Computer Engineering from Georgia Institutue of Technology. He is currently the CEO of his own consulting firm, Finney Project LLC. Jemal is very motivated to serve OAR clients and to continue the legacy of working to keep OAR an example of successful restorative justice. We are grateful for his passion and commitment to the OAR mission and look forward to his leadership in the years to come!