Our Story

This is My New Hour

New Hour was founded to provide meaningful support to current and formerly incarcerated women, their children and families. We build community to promote successful re-entry and lasting reintegration, and to reform unjust criminal justice system policies. We empower directly impacted people to utilize their lived experiences to create lasting reforms to the carceral system.

Our History

In 2013, a small group of volunteers began mentoring women in the Riverhead Correctional Facility. One of the volunteers was Mrs. Patty Kraus. She and others quickly realized there were almost no re-entry or supportive services for women. As a result Mrs. Kraus and her husband, Mr. George Kraus, became New Hour's founding donors after being introduced to Serena Liguori through Sister Tesa Fitzgerald of Hour Children. Ms. Liguori developed a vision plan which, with the help of the Krauses' generous seed funding and founding board members, created New Hour.

Our Vision

New Hour's vision is to empower justice impacted women and provide successful support for mothers and children. We recognize the critical role mothers play—often as the primary caretakers for their children. We understand the need for specialized support for mothers whose pathways to prison or jail are often tied to domestic violence or substance abuse. By providing  parenting skills, work skills, and wellness programs during and after incarceration, we aim to give women the tools needed to become powerful change agents for themselves, their community and their children.