FIRST CHANCE campaign

Approximately 100 million people in the United States are affected in some way by incarceration, and it disproportionately affects the Black community. Most incarcerated individuals experienced horrific trauma at a young age, as a result of being born in neighborhoods that have been devastated by inequity and often lacking social capital and positive support systems.

It is vital now more than ever to help members of our community who have been affected by this trauma for generations. The First Chance Campaign — a $50 million fundraising effort chaired by World Wide Technology Founder and Chairman David Steward – will enable Concordance Academy to expand our services to 11 additional U.S. cities by 2025.

On average, four out of five people (77%) who return to their communities after being released from prison are rearrested within five years. Concordance is working to break the cycle of reincarceration and forge a path toward equality by supporting people who have served their time and are re-entering society.

Built on evidence-driven best practices, our holistic, integrated approach gives participants their first real chance to succeed: It helps them heal from trauma and substance use, learn the skills they need to earn a sustainable living, and put strategies into daily practice that reduce their likelihood of reincarceration. Since our inception, we have lowered reincarceration rates by 44%, and that has a ripple effect throughout the community. Families are restored, food security is achieved, and stable housing is obtained. Only then is there is an opportunity to establish the basic principles of social justice.

Given the miracles we experience each day as we partner with our participants on their healing journey, we are reminded that our participants never needed a second chance. They needed their first.

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FIRST CHANCE campaign

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Approximately 100 million people in this United States are affected in some way by incarceration, and it disproportionately affects the Black community. Most incarcerated individuals experienced horrific trauma at a young age, as a result of being born in neighborhoods that have been devastated by inequity and often lacking social capital and positive support systems.

It is vital now more than ever to help members of our community who have been affected by this trauma for generations. The First Chance Campaign — a $50 million fundraising effort chaired by World Wide Technology Founder and Chairman David Steward – will enable Concordance Academy to expand our services to 11 additional U.S. cities by 2025.

Concordance’s holistic, integrated and evidence-driven model gives participants their first real chance to succeed: It helps them heal from trauma and substance use, learn the skills needed to earn a sustainable living, and put strategies into daily practice that reduce their likelihood of reincarceration. Since our inception, we have lowered reincarceration rates by 44%, and that has a ripple effect throughout the community. Families are restored, jobs are secured, and stable housing is obtained.

Seeing the miracles our participants experience on their healing journey, we are reminded that our participants never needed a second chance. They only needed their first.

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We are the only program of our kind to use a holistic, individualized, integrated, and evidence-driven model to address the alarmingly high rate of reincarceration in the U.S., and the enormous impacts it has on society, the economy and millions of people.

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We assist participants in three primary areas: behavioral health and wellness; education and employment; and community and life skills. We start working with individuals six months prior to release and continue assisting for up to a year after their return to the community.

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Since our founding in 2015, we have reduced the reincarceration rates among our participants by 44%. We are now working to scale our model nationally and expand to 11 additional U.S. cities by 2025.

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The generational cycle of people returning to prison has enormous, negative impacts on all Americans, especially the family members of incarcerated people. By addressing generations of trauma in the Black community, Concordance helps people released from prison achieve significant change and lasting success for themselves, their families and the community. I am honored to join with Danny Ludeman, Concordance's president & CEO, ‘for a time such as this’ to end the cycle and heal a national crisis.

David Steward Founder & Chairman, World Wide Technology

The generational cycle of people returning to prison has enormous, negative impacts on all Americans, especially the family members of incarcerated people. By addressing generations of trauma in the Black community, Concordance helps people released from prison achieve significant change and lasting success for themselves, their families and the community. I am honored to join with Danny Ludeman, Concordance's president & CEO, ‘for a time such as this’ to end the cycle and heal a national crisis.

David Steward Founder & Chairman, World Wide Technology

CAMPAIGN leadership

CHAIR

David Steward
Founder & Chairman, World Wide Technology

David Steward is chairman and founder of World Wide Technology (WWT), a market-leading systems integrator and supply chain solutions provider. Founded in 1990, WWT has grown to become a global technology solution provider with nearly $12 billion in annual revenue. Steward and his wife Thelma are integral to the St. Louis community; serving others, philanthropy, and their faith are important parts of who they are. Accordingly, Steward calls upon himself and the WWT employees to be humble servants to each other, customers, partners, and the community.

CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRS

Warner Baxter
Chairman, President & CEO, Ameren Corporation

Adam Berlew
Executive Director of Americas Marketing, Google Cloud

Carl Bouckaert
Entrepreneur

Bob Clark
Executive Chairman & Founder, Clayco

Ronald Crutcher
President, University of Richmond

Arnold Donald
CEO, Carnival Corporation

Mark Gambill
Chairman Emeritus, Cary Street Partners and Former President, Wheat First Butcher Singer, Inc.

Rick Holton
COO, Hermann Companies

Ron Kruszewski
Chairman & CEO, Stifel Financial Corp

Willie Lanier
Former CEO, TDS/US and
Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee

Anna Manning
President & CEO, Reinsurance Group of America

Steve Maritz
Chairman & CEO, Maritz

Kathy Mazzarella
Chairman, President & CEO, Graybar

Rich McClure
Former CEO, Unigroup

John McDonnell
Former Chairman & CEO, McDonnell Douglas

Michael Neidorff
Chairman, President & CEO, Centene Corporation

Robert O’Loughlin
Chairman & CEO, Lodging Hospitality Management

Jack Oliver
Managing Partner, Dock Square Capital
Attorney & Practice Group Leader,
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Dave Peacock
President & Chief Operating Officer, Schnuck Markets Inc.

Craig Schnuck
Former Chairman & CEO, Schnuck Markets Inc.

Suzanne Sitherwood
President & CEO, Spire Inc.

Joseph Sivewright
CEO, Nestle Purina Petcare Company

Michael Staenberg
CEO, The Staenberg Group

John Strangfeld
Former Chairman, CEO, & President, Prudential Financial

Donald Suggs
Chairman & Publisher, The St. Louis American

Diane Sullivan
CEO, President & Chairman, Caleres

John Thompson
Board Chair, Microsoft

Jim Turley
Former Chairman & CEO, Ernst & Young

Bobby Ukrop
Chairman & CEO, Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods

Tim Wentworth
President, Express Scripts and Cigna Services

Mark Wrighton
Professor & Chancellor Emeritus,
Washington University in St. Louis

Jackie Yoon
President, YFB Consulting

join the CAMPAIGN

We invite you to join us as we provide our participants with the first real chance they never had. To support the campaign, please click the link below, call our Development Office at 314-396-6001, or email us at give@concordanceacademy.com.

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NEWSROOM

David Steward leading $50M campaign to expand Concordance

David Steward, chairman and founder of World Wide Technology, is leading St. Louis-based Concordance Academy’s First Chance capital campaign to raise $50 million to scale its model for reducing reincarceration rates nationally and to expand its programs to 11 other cities by 2025. Read full article here.

July 18, 2020

First-of-its-Kind Nonprofit Plans to Take Proven Model to Reduce Reincarceration Rates Nationally

Concordance Academy of Leadership "First Chance" campaign to raise $50 million to expand to 11 new cities to prevent people from going back to prison, cut crime and save governments millions of dollars.

July 14, 2020

The Fellows

In 2016, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner established a unique partnership with Concordance Academy of Leadership in St. Louis, a non-profit organization providing holistic re-entry services to individuals released from incarceration. Since 2016, Concordance Academy ("Concordance") has provided its quality, integrated services to more than 500 program participants, and in doing so, has proven to reduce recidivism by more than 38%.

March 11, 2020

Concordance Academy is awarded NAP tax credits for its substance use disorder (SUD) program for formerly incarcerated individuals.

Read the full story

Missouri Department of Economic Development

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NEWSROOM

David Steward leading $50M campaign to expand Concordance

David Steward, chairman and founder of World Wide Technology, is leading St. Louis-based Concordance Academy’s First Chance capital campaign to raise $50 million to scale its model for reducing reincarceration rates nationally and to expand its programs to 11 other cities by 2025. Read full article here.

July 18, 2020

WHO WE ARE

OUR WORK

THE IMPACT

NEWSROOM

FIRST CHANCE campaign

Given the miracles we experience each day as we partner with our participants on their healing journey, we are reminded that our participants never needed a second chance. They needed their first.

FIRST CHANCE campaign

Seeing the miracles our participants experience on their healing journey, we are reminded that our participants never needed a second chance. They only needed their first.

CAMPAIGN leadership

CHAIR

CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRS

join the CAMPAIGN

We invite you to join us as we provide our participants with the first real chance they never had. To support the campaign, please click the link below, call our Development Office at 314-396-6001, or email us at give@concordanceacademy.com.

NEWSROOM

David Steward leading $50M campaign to expand Concordance

First-of-its-Kind Nonprofit Plans to Take Proven Model to Reduce Reincarceration Rates Nationally

The Fellows

NEWSROOM

David Steward leading $50M campaign to expand Concordance

CONTACT

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