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Be very precise and specific in what you are asking others to do for you and your loved one.
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What Can you do to help? |
- First and foremost, sign Lenny's petition. Click here to visit his petition at change.org. This will be presented at the next opportunity for his case to be reviewed and please spread the word and get friends and family to sign his petition too -- the more signatures we have, the better.
- Purchase our book, "Love Conquers All" here. And encourage your friends to purchase a copy too.
- Donate to the Justice4Lenny Legal Fund by sending a check to the PO Box listed below.
- Be a part of the advocacy ... Write a Letter of Support for Lenny. Look at the information below on how to write a good, effective letter. Send your support letter to the Justice4Lenny Committee at justice4Lenny@gmail.com or to the PO Box listed below.
P.O. Box 6614
Tulsa, OK 74156
- Order a t-shirt or bracelet by emailing your request to justice4lenny@gmail.com. Proceeds go to help Lenny in his cause.
- Visit Lenny Singleton on Facebook and sign up to be his “Friend." Encourages others to do the same.
- Share Lenny's story and encourage your friends and family to sign his petition,
- Watch "The Making of a Miracle."
- Join our Mailing List on our homepage.
Be sure to include the specific points that you want supporters to touch on. Most people are not good writers; so, the easier you can make it for them, the better.
Suggestions for writing a good letter
For any type of letter there are certain points you want to be sure to make. They are as follows:
-- Lenny committed a series of "grab & dash" robberies in 7 days while under the influence of crack cocaine and alcohol. He did not have a gun during any of these incidents and no one was physically harmed, and there are no victim impact statements made against him. Lenny was not part of a gang or a habitual criminal.
-- Lenny is not your typical prisoner. He has a Bachelor's Degree from Langston University in Business Management with a minor in Computer Programming. After graduating, he joined the Navy and served 2 years before his addiction destroyed his life.
-- Lenny, while incarcerated, has not received any infractions. He works at Virginia Correctional Enterprises in a position of authority and has lived in the Honors Dormitory for the majority of his incarceration.
-- Lenny received a sentence of 2 Life Sentences Plus 100 years. The Judge disregarded the guidelines and without any explanation to Lenny or the courtroom and gave him more time than repeat violent offenders, rapists, child molesters, and murderers. To date, Lenny has served over 21 years.
-- Lenny's situation is a perfect example of sentencing disparity that is occurring in our country.
-- We are asking for Lenny's case to be reviewed. To learn more about his situation, visit www.justice4lenny.org today. We are asking for people to get involved.
Now, how you utilize these points or word them is up to you as the writer. But, to make your writing effective, it is important to make an emotional connection to the reader, especially in Lenny's case. We need people we are trying to connect with to want to help Lenny; we need them to care.
One of the most powerful ways that we learn is through emotion. The brain has an easier time remembering facts and information if it makes an emotional connection to the material. That makes sense. When we are impassioned or 'feel' something, we remember, we share, we care, we act. So the question becomes how do we incite emotion without becoming overwhelming or without offending anyone?
There are several ways to do this. First, set aside how you feel about the "system." One way to illicit an emotional response is to paint a portrait of Lenny as you know him. Can you think of an incident that illustrates Lenny's character? Write about that as a story. We want the reader to see Lenny as a very real human being that is a good man at heart who has much to give to the world if given a second chance. What do you know about Lenny that illustrates that? Write to that and that is one way in which to strike an emotional chord with your reader.
Another way is by utilizing quotes -- I use quotes in all types of capacities. For instance in my letter to Senator Bobby Scott who is currently trying to get Obama to look into granting clemency to cases where there are huge sentencing discrepancies I used a quote from The Voice about that (you can find that article on Facebook). In another letter, I used quotes from his fellow inmates. That might be a good option if you do not know Lenny personally. Again, it will give your writing color and make it more personable and memorable.
Another way to "beef up" your writing and make more of an emotional connection is to share about yourself. Maybe in your line of work, you've had the opportunity to work with people who have had addiction issues, or who have been incarcerated. Maybe in your line of work, you give people second chances. For example, I work in education and I always make a point that I have spent the past 25 years giving people second chances through education. If there is something that you do that connects somehow with Lenny, his story, his addiction, his education, his military training, his football or athletic abilities, his spirituality -- make that connection.
We do not want every letter to be the same although it is important that all the letters make the key points. By following some of these suggestions, we are not judging the system but we are still making our letters more emotional and therefore more memorable.
-- Lenny committed a series of "grab & dash" robberies in 7 days while under the influence of crack cocaine and alcohol. He did not have a gun during any of these incidents and no one was physically harmed, and there are no victim impact statements made against him. Lenny was not part of a gang or a habitual criminal.
-- Lenny is not your typical prisoner. He has a Bachelor's Degree from Langston University in Business Management with a minor in Computer Programming. After graduating, he joined the Navy and served 2 years before his addiction destroyed his life.
-- Lenny, while incarcerated, has not received any infractions. He works at Virginia Correctional Enterprises in a position of authority and has lived in the Honors Dormitory for the majority of his incarceration.
-- Lenny received a sentence of 2 Life Sentences Plus 100 years. The Judge disregarded the guidelines and without any explanation to Lenny or the courtroom and gave him more time than repeat violent offenders, rapists, child molesters, and murderers. To date, Lenny has served over 21 years.
-- Lenny's situation is a perfect example of sentencing disparity that is occurring in our country.
-- We are asking for Lenny's case to be reviewed. To learn more about his situation, visit www.justice4lenny.org today. We are asking for people to get involved.
Now, how you utilize these points or word them is up to you as the writer. But, to make your writing effective, it is important to make an emotional connection to the reader, especially in Lenny's case. We need people we are trying to connect with to want to help Lenny; we need them to care.
One of the most powerful ways that we learn is through emotion. The brain has an easier time remembering facts and information if it makes an emotional connection to the material. That makes sense. When we are impassioned or 'feel' something, we remember, we share, we care, we act. So the question becomes how do we incite emotion without becoming overwhelming or without offending anyone?
There are several ways to do this. First, set aside how you feel about the "system." One way to illicit an emotional response is to paint a portrait of Lenny as you know him. Can you think of an incident that illustrates Lenny's character? Write about that as a story. We want the reader to see Lenny as a very real human being that is a good man at heart who has much to give to the world if given a second chance. What do you know about Lenny that illustrates that? Write to that and that is one way in which to strike an emotional chord with your reader.
Another way is by utilizing quotes -- I use quotes in all types of capacities. For instance in my letter to Senator Bobby Scott who is currently trying to get Obama to look into granting clemency to cases where there are huge sentencing discrepancies I used a quote from The Voice about that (you can find that article on Facebook). In another letter, I used quotes from his fellow inmates. That might be a good option if you do not know Lenny personally. Again, it will give your writing color and make it more personable and memorable.
Another way to "beef up" your writing and make more of an emotional connection is to share about yourself. Maybe in your line of work, you've had the opportunity to work with people who have had addiction issues, or who have been incarcerated. Maybe in your line of work, you give people second chances. For example, I work in education and I always make a point that I have spent the past 25 years giving people second chances through education. If there is something that you do that connects somehow with Lenny, his story, his addiction, his education, his military training, his football or athletic abilities, his spirituality -- make that connection.
We do not want every letter to be the same although it is important that all the letters make the key points. By following some of these suggestions, we are not judging the system but we are still making our letters more emotional and therefore more memorable.
I would often proofread or even write support letters. A letter writing campaign is essential to the success of your website and a successful petition.