Ned Dewees, a managing partner at Douglas Lane & Associates, an investment advisory firm in New York City, has been a supporter of Vera for a number of years. His commitment to Vera deepened when his intellectual understanding of the horror of mass incarceration in this country, and the need for justice reform, became a more personal and emotional one. Dewees, who recently joined Vera’s Reform Leadership Council, a volunteer group of allies and donors, described it this way:

"Of course, I find the work of Vera to be incredibly important. It has been for over 50 years, and in today’s political and social climate, it is sadly clear there is a long way to go. Vera is not applying band aids to the issues it is tackling. They are striving to create real partnerships with the players in the justice system and make true systematic changes. My message to anyone who is reading this annual report, whether you are a current Vera supporter or just learning about the work they do, is to go a little deeper if you can. Vera is working hard to create opportunities for donors to witness and experience first-hand the issues they are working on. My commitment to Vera deepened when I was invited to New Orleans for a two-day 'immersion' into the work they are doing around the issues of justice and mass incarceration. We visited separately with the mayor, the sheriff and community leaders to hear them discuss their viewpoints and frustrations. We went to the courtroom and watched the arraignments of those arrested the night before. We watched and learned about the roles of the judges and the bail bondsmen in the “processing” of the defendants. And we went to the jail, and talked to people locked up there. I left New Orleans with my eyes opened much wider! We are confronted year-round with requests from fabulous organizations doing important work. The trip to New Orleans was instrumental in my decision to dig deeper than usual for Vera, both financially, and with my time."

When Sandra and Lowell Lamb decided to make a long-term commitment to Vera through a planned gift, the couple looked at Vera’s work now and its impact down the road. “You can guarantee that there will be some issues that Vera works [in the future] that align with our hopes, our passion, and yes, our outrage,” said Sandra, a Vera trustee for the last decade and a strategic consultant for nonprofit organizations. “America can do better. Not everything will be solved in the short term.” The planned gift aligns with the Lambs’ own passions for the cause of justice reform and their experience in philanthropy. “It’s easy to make a planned gift,” said Lamb. “And your money and your passion to fight injustice leaves a lasting impact.” A former managing director at Lazard where, for 20 years, she advised on mergers and acquisitions as well as other complex corporate financial advisory assignments, Lamb understands the importance of individuals investing in Vera’s work. “Vera has a very large vision, one that requires a large commitment from people who care about what Vera does,” she said. “Individual donors are so important. Vera is part of a movement, and the work is amazing. [At all giving levels] being part of that is an important step to take.”