I On Politics

FORTUNE SOCIETY GALA: The Fortune Society, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit reentry service and advocacy organizations serving more than ten thousand justice-involved individuals every year, honored President and CEO JoAnne Page, who is retiring after 34 years at the helm of the organization, and founder David Rothenberg as he celebrates his 90th birthday, at their annual “Bold Leadership, Bright Future” gala on October 30, 2023.

More than 400 people attended the event, which raised more than $940,000 to strengthen the nonprofit’s array of services that support reentry and promote alternatives to incarceration.

Among those that attended the Gala at Gotham Hall in midtown Manhattan were: New York City Councilmember Gale Brewer, former New Jersey Governor James McGreevy, former Alabama Governor Donald Eugene Siegelman, and actor Linda Lavin and husband Steve Bakunas.

Attendees gave JoAnne Page, who announced her retirement in September after nearly three-and-a-half decades at the helm of Fortune, a standing ovation.

“It’s been an honor of my lifetime to be Fortune’s CEO for 34 years,” JoAnne Page said. “I don’t feel noble. I feel gratified because, who else has the luxury of being in this kind of community doing this kind of work, waking up every day and seeing magic happen.”

Speaking of the transformation she has witnessed in so many of Fortune’s charges, she said, “When people feel safe and loved, they are beautiful… It’s all about the person who walks through the doors and seeing them as a valuable human being, and saying ‘what do you need as a tool to build the life that you dreamed of while you were locked up?’ and to advocate against the vicious criminal legal system that does so much damage to human beings.”

Under JoAnne’s stewardship, The Fortune Society has been recognized as a national leader in providing direct services and advocacy on behalf of justice involved individuals. JoAnne grew the non-profit from a staff of 20 and a budget of $700,000 to a staff of over 500 and an annual budget of more than $60 million. With that growth, she transformed the organization into one that not only provides advocacy and direct services but also housing to set people on a path toward meaningful transformation.

Deeply affected by the plight of the formerly incarcerated, David Rothenberg founded The Fortune Society to help people with justice involvement successfully reenter their communities after incarceration. During his tenure as Executive Director, David was a pioneer – from the creation of life-changing programs like Education and Employment services to being one of the few outside observers at the Attica uprising and winning an important legal victory enabling Fortune News to be distributed in prisons. Having recently turned 90, David continues to volunteer at Fortune and mentor clients.

Rothenberg noted that at the heart of Fortune’s mission is the people who come to the organization seeking positive change. “We don’t do it for people who come in, they do it for themselves,” Rothenberg said. “We created an environment that gives them the opportunity to find out who they are and what they can be. And the most important thing is to create an environment of trust. People who’ve been abandoned, betrayed, punished, locked up, and they come into an environment where we see the beauty in them before they see it in themselves.”

As the evening closed, Deputy CEO Stanley Richards, who will succeed JoAnne Page in January 2024, spoke of the road ahead. “We can only do this because of our partners,” Richards said, thanking the staff, advocates, and allies in the room. “Our path forward is clear. We stand on the side of justice, accountability, fairness, and opportunity to those impacted by the criminal legal system. Fortune will continue to be a place of healing, forgiveness, and hope. The future of Fortune is bright and we will continue to be the light on the hill.”

Founded in 1967, The Fortune Society has advocated on criminal justice issues for over five decades and is nationally recognized for developing model programs that help people with criminal justice histories to be assets to their communities. Fortune offers a holistic and integrated “one-stop-shop” model of service provision. Among the services offered are discharge planning, outpatient substance abuse and mental health treatment, alternatives to incarceration, HIV/AIDS services, career development and job retention, education, family services, drop-in services, creative arts, policy and advocacy, research, and supportive housing as well as lifetime access to aftercare.

Fortune has a dual mission of services and advocacy. We use what we learn from our justice impacted participants and staff about the obstacles that people with criminal histories face to inform and fuel our advocacy work.