At CREA, community engagement has long been a valued tradition, reflecting our commitment to equity and justice. Each year, CREA partners with organizations that support local communities, fostering meaningful contributions beyond the conference setting. This year, we are honored to collaborate with the Education Justice Project (EJP) to support education programs for incarcerated individuals. 

Thanks to the generosity of the CREA community, almost all the items from the original Amazon wishlist for the Principles & Applications for Life (PAL) and Advanced PAL (A-PAL) programs in Arkansas have been donated! Due to the enthusiastic interest in contributing to this initiative, the wishlist has been updated to include additional items. If you wish to support the program, please refer to the updated wishlist to make your donation.

Additionally, we are excited to share a new opportunity to support EJP’s initiative at Danville Correctional Center in Illinois, a medium-security men’s prison near Urbana-Champaign. The Danville program offers upper-division University of Illinois courses and extracurricular activities, fostering a rigorous and inclusive learning environment. The new wishlist for Danville includes essential supplies such as paper notepads, graphic calculators, and copy printer paper. CREA participants are invited to support this initiative by donating items from the wishlist here: Danville Wishlist. 

Additionally, you can support EJP’s broader mission by making a direct donation through their website. While donations are welcome at any time, we encourage the CREA community to contribute between April 1 - 15. By participating, you help advance the mission of culturally responsive education and support the transformative power of learning for incarcerated individuals.  Thank you for your generosity and commitment to educational justice!