60 Years of Life, Leadership & Building Family Power

Celebrate Jeannette Bocanegra’s 60th Birthday by Investing in Justice for Families

Tomorrow, September 4th, I turn 60 years old.

I have never been someone who needs a big celebration for myself. Some of my greatest joy has always come from celebrating others—our children, our families, our young people, our community leaders, and the people who continue to stand up, speak out, heal, and fight for something better.

But this birthday feels different.

Sixty has me thinking about where I have been, what we have built, the impact we have made, and what it will take to sustain this work for the next generation.

So this year, instead of asking for presents, I am asking you to invest in Justice for Families.

[CELEBRATE JEANNETTE’S 60TH — DONATE]

An Investment in Growth, Impact & Sustainability

Justice for Families was built on a simple but powerful belief: families closest to the challenges must be closest to the solutions.

We have worked to ensure that families and young people impacted by the justice system and other public systems are not simply invited into rooms after decisions have already been made. They deserve the opportunity, resources, support, and power to help shape those decisions from the beginning.

Over the years, we have trained and developed family leaders, partnered with communities across the country, advocated for policy change, supported young people and families navigating systems, created spaces for healing, and challenged institutions to move from simply engaging families toward authentic partnership and shared power.

And we are still growing.

As Justice for Families grows, we must also strengthen the foundation underneath the work.

That is why, for my 60th birthday, I am specifically asking for unrestricted gifts.

Why Unrestricted Giving Matters

Grants and program-specific funding make so much of our work possible, and we are deeply grateful for every partner who invests in our mission.

But unrestricted funding gives Justice for Families something equally valuable: freedom and flexibility.

It allows us to respond when a family needs something that does not fit neatly into a grant deliverable. It allows us to invest in emerging leaders, strengthen our infrastructure, care for our team, develop new ideas, respond to unexpected opportunities, and continue building even when funding restrictions say, “This dollar can only be used for this.”

Unrestricted funding allows us to ask a different question:

What does our community need right now—and how can we respond?

That freedom is essential to our growth.

Sustainability Also Means Making Room to Breathe

I also want to name something that nonprofit and movement leaders do not always say out loud.

For many years, I have carried this work very personally. Justice for Families is not simply an organization to me. This work comes from lived experience, from family, from community, from struggle, and from a belief that systems can and must do better by our children.

But sustainability cannot mean that an organization depends on one person carrying everything forever.

At 60, I want to continue doing this work with the same passion and commitment—but I also want to help build Justice for Families into an organization strong enough for leadership to be shared, for our team to grow, and for me to occasionally step away, breathe, rest, and return without worrying that the work will stop moving.

That is not stepping away from the mission. That is building the mission to last.

Help Me Celebrate 60

So I am asking you to celebrate this milestone with me.

Give what you can:

$6. $60. $600. $6,000. $60,000. $600,000.

And yes—if $6 million is on your heart, Justice for Families is ready for that conversation. 😊

Every gift matters.

Every unrestricted dollar gives us more freedom to grow, respond, innovate, support our people, deepen our impact, and build for the future.

Whether you have been part of this journey for decades or you are just learning about Justice for Families, I invite you to become part of what comes next.

At 60, I am not slowing down. I am making room to keep going.

There are more families to support.
More young people to stand beside.
More leaders to develop.
More communities to invest in.
More systems to transform.
More healing to create.
And so much more to build.

This birthday, you do not have to buy me anything.

Invest in what I have spent my life helping to build—and help us make sure it is strong enough to continue for generations.

Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for believing in Justice for Families. Most importantly, thank you for believing in the wisdom, expertise, leadership, and power of families.

Here’s to 60 years of life, lessons, love, struggle, growth, and impact—and to everything we are still going to build together.

With love and gratitude,

Jeannette Bocanegra
Executive Director
Justice for Families

[CELEBRATE JEANNETTE’S 60TH — DONATE]

Join Us in Supporting New York's Children, Families, and Community Schools

Dear Community Leaders, Organizations, Educators, Parents, Youth, and Allies,

Every child deserves to learn in a school where they feel safe, valued, supported, and inspired to succeed.

Across New York State, too many students continue to experience exclusionary discipline practices—such as suspensions—that remove them from classrooms instead of addressing the underlying challenges they face. These practices disproportionately impact Black, Latino, Indigenous, students with disabilities, and other historically marginalized young people, contributing to lost learning opportunities and long-term harm.

The Solutions Not Suspensions (SNS) Campaign is a statewide coalition committed to transforming school climate by investing in prevention, healing, and student success. We believe schools should respond to challenges with support rather than punishment, ensuring every young person has the opportunity to thrive.

We are calling on organizations and individuals across New York to stand with us in support of policies and investments that:

• Increase funding for community schools and student support services.

• Expand access to mental health professionals, counselors, social workers, and restorative practices.
• Reduce the overreliance on suspensions and exclusionary discipline.
• Invest in culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches that strengthen relationships and improve school climate.
• Elevate the voices of students, families, educators, and communities in shaping school policies.
• Ensure every child has access to an equitable, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.

By signing on, you affirm your commitment to creating schools where every child belongs, every family is valued, and every community has the resources needed to help young people succeed.

We invite your organization—or you as an individual—to add your name in support of this important effort.

Thank you for standing with New York's children, families, and communities.

Thank you so much for your advocacy, and please share these links with your networks!

Peace,