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What does Believe in BELIEVE mean?

It’s pretty simple. Over the past two years, we’ve all been through a lot. And many of us turned to good ‘ol Netflix (or in this case, Apple TV) to...

It’s pretty simple.

Over the past two years, we’ve all been through a lot. And many of us turned to good ‘ol Netflix (or in this case, Apple TV) to relax. At Restore Justice, we all became enamored with the show Ted Lasso. Believe in BELIEVE is a quote from the show.

Isn’t it glib of us to use a TV show line in our serious and important work? What if we confuse people? 

To be honest, we needed a little glib this season, and we decided it was worth the risk of confusing you for a moment to take a different approach to connecting with an audience about our work. If your confusion made you look a little closer or ask a question, well, heck (that’s a Tedism right there); that gives us a chance to connect with you.

We love Ted Lasso because it strikes a balance that we find really familiar.

On the one hand, we earnestly, honestly, and doggedly try to be objectively successful in the midst of sad and hard things happening to us and the people we love. 

On the other hand, we are people who prioritize people over our “to do” lists and who genuinely enjoy one another. You’ll hear us laughing the loudest on our hardest days.

Our “fundraising event” called Believe in BELIEVE is a short (under 20 minutes) video and a chance to connect and have conversations in breakout rooms. NO SPEECHES. NO PANELS. NO MONOLOGUES.

Why do we need to believe in the idea of “BELIEVE?”

Just in the past few months, we have lost people we love to COVID and other illnesses. We lost them before they were able to be reunited with their loved ones, or soon after. 

We watched the Illinois Supreme Court begin to pull back on its positive track record for people convicted at young ages. 

We see our incarcerated loved ones unravel after too long without adequate movement, food, or time in the visiting room due to COVID restrictions. Some days, it has felt too hard. Too much. Even when we are making progress, in the face of the problem, it can feel awful.

Faith is funny. Even if you do not believe in a higher power, just believing in something – in anything – can sometimes help us pass a hard day, a hard hour, a hard moment. Sometimes all we can believe in is that if we keep believing we CAN make a difference; we will make a difference.

How much do we need to raise?

We seek to raise $100,000 in new and increased gifts which will “unlock” matching funds provided by board members equalling $200,000. We also seek to raise at least $100,000 in renewed funds from our loyal supporters, a total of $200K, not including the match.

How much did we raise last year? 

About $140,000.

Are you nuts?

Yes. That is why we need to BELIEVE.

Come experience Believe in BELIEVE with us! Click here and show you believe

— Jobi Cates