Exchange for Change
“Without money from Give Miami Day, we would suffer greatly,” says Kathie Klarreich, Executive Director of Exchange for Change. “It keeps us alive.”
Exchange for Change delivers a variety of college-level writing courses to the incarcerated population at five correctional institutions across South Florida, plus a sixth in Central Florida. The nonprofit has reached 1,925 students.
Dollars raised on Give Miami Day help pay the salaries of their two-member staff, a team that the nonprofit is eager to expand. “We would be able to expand the program exponentially if we hire more staff because we’re so lean,” said Klarreich.
Klarreich says Exchange for Change’s value isn’t reflected in its budget; supplies for a class of 15 students cost just about $15.00. Exchange for Change believes that small investment pays out major dividends to Greater Miami, affording a quality education and relevant skills to a group of individuals who will ultimately rejoin our community.
The organization’s potential for exponential growth also exists because of the context; Florida is home to the third largest incarcerated population in the United States. Through Give Miami Day fundraising, Exchange for Change hopes to hire the staff that’ll make it possible to reach the rest of the Miami-based prison population – and beyond.