Everyone deserves a second chance!
Many of the 26,000 people who leave Illinois prisons annually have trouble finding employment. Let's fix that together.
Welcome to a Second Chance
Lewis Simmons Foundation is an Illinois-based non-profit organization that creates second-chance opportunities for underserved individuals and nonviolent convicted citizens. We help them gain meaningful employment and business opportunities so they are not forced to repeat the same mistakes due to systematic cultures that restrict them from securing employment.
Since 2018, our second chances have helped close the health and wealth gap in underserved communities.
We take a three-pronged approach to creating second chances:
PRONG 1: JOB READINESS PROGRAM
We work with disadvantaged and re-entry citizens to prepare them for the workplace or help them step into entrepreneurship. The program includes:
- Interview training and Mock interview preparation
- Resume preparation
- Ongoing job mentoring and coaching
- Strategic job fairs
- Entrepreneurship training
We also collaborate with local correctional and law enforcement agencies to host this program within their facilities. One such program exists at the Kane County Sheriff's Office.
PRONG 2: PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS
We partner with community resources, agencies and businesses to understand their hiring opportunities and provide vetted candidates who are ready to meet those needs.
PRONG 3: PROVIDING WRAP-AROUND SERVICES
We partner with community organizations to provide wraparound community-based services and bring awareness to our services and the why of our mission.
Our Story - We know how it feels to need a second chance.
The work we do is very important to us because of the experiences of our founder, Terrie Simmons. Through her business and personal endeavors, Terrie was already on a mission to close the wealth and health parity gap in underserved communities.
When Terrie’s son was younger, he faced the possibility of jail time for a minor offense. She realized that many young men and women make mistakes but do not have the means to help them resolve their legal troubles without serving time. As the mother of an African American son, she thinks about this reality daily. This is why she founded the Lewis Simmons Foundation (LSF) in 2018.
Today, this is why our staff do the work we do to help underserved individuals get a second chance at life. Our vision is to “champion change for those whose voices are stifled and so often go unheard.”
LSF operates under the umbrella of its parent company, Strategic Exceptions Professional Consulting Inc. (SEPCI).
Giving one person a second chance impacts us all… the second chances we've created have impacted 10,000 lives.
Here is how we have been creating second chances so re-entry citizens can carve a path to a bright and healthy future.
Job Readiness: Grooming Men for Job Interviews
We prepare re-entry to put their best foot forward in their job readiness search. On May 5, 2023, we hosted free haircuts for the community at Do or Dye Salon…
Toy Drive
The Lewis Simmons Foundation partnered with other local organizations in the Aurora, IL and Batavia, IL to give toys to families 🤍! The partnerships we forged and the smiles we…
Black Vax Aurora Clinic
Terrie and the Lewis Simmons Foundation Team have been working hard to bring awareness to the Black VAX initiative happening in Aurora, IL. This initiative is aimed at giving black…
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