What keeps Freedom Reads thriving is the people who believe in the mission and choose to support it. LeRoy General, our Chief Development Officer, is the person who helps connect would-be supporters to our goal of opening a Freedom Library in every cellblock in every prison in the United States.
As Chief Development Officer, LeRoy oversees all fundraising for Freedom Reads. The role breaks down into three essential areas: meeting and engaging with supporters, asking for financial support, and thanking the donors who make the work possible. Of those three, LeRoy is quick to point out which matters most: the thanking. It's constant, and it's everything.
What LeRoy enjoys most about his work is the people. Freedom Reads has built something rare: a strong team and an even stronger community of supporters. Getting the chance to connect with people who share the same passion and vision, and to teach them more about the daily work happening on the Inside, feels like a privilege.
Ask LeRoy about his favorite book in the Freedom Library and his answer is immediate: Dune. It was the first science fiction book that made an impact on him. Some books find you at exactly the right moment, and their influence never fades.
Outside of Freedom Reads, LeRoy has spent the past two decades coaching youth soccer. And here's something you might not expect: a long time ago, in a galaxy far away, LeRoy was in a local rock band that opened for Living Colour and Blue Oyster Cult. Freedom Reads is a place where creativity flourishes, and LeRoy brings that same creative spirit and performance energy to building connections with our supporters.