Project Avary

Project Avary offers long-term support, resources, guidance and training for children with incarcerated parents.Project Avary is a safe space where families and children of incarcerated individuals can be open and honest about the pain and grief of losing a loved one to the criminal justice system. Within this container of deep trust and respect, children of the incarcerated join together to grieve and heal the wounds of loss and abandonment. 

Since 1999, our year-round program has met the unique emotional needs of children with a parent in prison. We intervene early in the lives of children at the ages of 8 to 11, and we make a long-term 10-year commitment to each child and family.

Zachary Whelan has worked on criminal justice reform for over a decade leading community-based organizations focused on creating innovative solutions to heal the impacts of incarceration on children and families. He was the Program Coordinator of a violence prevention program on Boston's North Shore, Director of the Orleans County Community Justice Project in Vermont,  Associate Director of Restorative Resources in Sonoma County, and is currently the Executive Director of Project Avary.