Cease Poverty is proud to announce the successful completion of our first four-week Purpose Within course at the Cook County Department of Corrections!
We ended our class with a celebration.
Italian Fiesta Pizza, Soda, and Cookies
11 women started. 11 women completed! The outcome was incredible, with participants showing enthusiasm, dedication, and a desire to continue learning.
Our Purpose Within initiative helps incarcerated women rediscover their identity, recognize their strengths, build self-confidence, and develop a clearer sense of purpose beyond their circumstances.
Certificate Of Completion
Look At Those Beautiful Smiles
Oct 15, 2026
Purpose Within Class at Cook County Jail
Formerly Incarcerated Women - Join Us
We are also inviting formerly incarcerated and justice-impacted women to become involved with Cease Poverty and help facilitate our future Purpose Within classes. Lived experience is powerful. Women on the inside benefit from seeing women who understand incarceration firsthand return with encouragement, wisdom, and hope. If you are ready to use your experience to help empower another woman, we invite you to sign up and join us.
Be A Blessing!!!
Help Us Continue the Work
Every class requires resources. Cease Poverty provides workbooks, printed materials, paper, pens, certificates, and other supplies used throughout the program. Your donation helps us continue bringing education, encouragement, and purpose-centered programming directly to women who are currently incarcerated. No contribution is too small, and every gift helps us continue showing up and doing the work.
Cease Poverty is proud to facilitate Purpose Within, an in-person empowerment and purpose-discovery course for women inside the Cook County Department of Corrections. Led by Cease Poverty Founder Kashmir Bonner, alongside Assistant Facilitator Latoya Patton, the course helps participants explore their identity, recognize their strengths and gifts, build confidence, and begin creating a vision for their future. The curriculum is based on Kashmir Bonner’s new workbook, The Purpose Within, available on Amazon.
Upcoming Event
Sunday Funday Skating Experience
When: July 12th, 2026 From 2:00pm-8:00 pm
Where: Navy Pier Summer Skating
Admission: $20, Skate Rental Included
$50 Best Dressed Contest
Our Founding Community Initiative
Sisters Outside the Hood is the first active initiative launched by Cease Poverty and represents the beginning of our commitment to empowering women through connection, exposure, personal growth, and community.
Created to encourage women to step beyond the limitations of their environment, this initiative brings women together through positive experiences, cultural activities, wellness events, and meaningful fellowship. Our goal is to create safe spaces where women can build relationships, gain new experiences, and discover opportunities beyond what they may have previously imagined for themselves.
Our inaugural horseback riding event that we held on June 7th, 2026 was a successful first step in bringing this vision to life, connecting women through an experience centered on empowerment, sisterhood, and exploring new experiences.
As we continue to build Cease Poverty, Sisters Outside the Hood serves as the foundation of our community engagement efforts while we develop additional programs and services designed to support women throughout their journeys.
Cease Poverty is a growing organization dedicated to empowering women and breaking cycles of poverty.
While we continue developing our long-term programs and services, we are already bringing women together through meaningful experiences that promote sisterhood, healing, personal growth, and community.
We invite you to follow our journey as we build, grow, and create new opportunities for women throughout Chicago.
Our Journey In Motion
Sisters Outside the Hood
Horseback Riding
Our First Sisters Outside The Hood Event Highlight
🏗️ What's Next for Cease Poverty
Development of educational and personal growth courses for women incarcerated.
Expansion of community-based initiatives.
Future transitional housing and resource center plans.