Manrique "Qiqi" Sanchez

PROJECT BLESSED VALLEY

To: Ironwood graduates and other blessed individuals

On the 15th of April 2017, Manrique “Qiqi” Sanchez’s sentence was commuted by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. His commutation was subsequently followed by deportation to Mexico. For many of us, following release, our life would begin again—where we left off. Yet, for our brother Manrique, a new set of hardships was to await him. The goal of this GoFundMe is not only to help our brother in this new chapter, but to help him as he once helped us.

Many of us were lucky enough to be involved in various Ironwood Prison programs, such as the College Program, Youth Offender Program, Mentor Program, The Last Mile, or various Chapel Programs. Ours was a unique environment, a place where a man could reassess his life’s priorities, contemplate deeply his life’s decisions, and even change his life's trajectory through the very programs we all co-created. None of this would have been possible without Jimmy White's vision, and even less would have been achieved had Manrique Sanchez not used his considerable talent in bringing people together.

That supportive environment didn't just spontaneously happen, but resulted from hard work and dedication from a whole community of forward-looking individuals. Some of those were Jim “Sneaky” White with his original vision of a College Program for veterans; Morris Cox and his tenacious teaching spirit; Scott Budnik, the founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition; Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti, founders of The Last Mile; countless students; tutors; and CDCR staff.

Manrique “Qiqi” Sanchez would eventually become not only the driving force but the spearhead of a movement that to this very day has helped countless individuals acquire an education, prepare for the outside world, and then gain their freedom. If not for the action taken by these daring men and women, many of these programs may never have come to fruition. Because of the efforts of these visionaries and others, hundreds if not thousands of lives were changed—-completely turned around—--with tremendously improved quality of life to follow. Also, truth be told, probably untold thousands of future crimes were prevented.

At this juncture in time, Manrique finds himself living in a subsistence agricultural environment reminiscent of rural America circa 1930. His work consists of manual labor in a destitute part of Mocorito, Sinaloa. If you venture to ask how I know this, it's because I've been there and seen it with my own eyes. If you will join in this vision with Manrique Sanchez, rest assured that his mission of changing lives at the grass roots level continues. This GoFundMe effort is being extended from and to those of us who benefited from the hard work Manrique and others so selflessly invested in those Ironwood programs. Just take a moment to consider how much better off YOU are—because of the help and support of these programs.

One hundred percent of all gifts raised will be used for three main goals: 1. Helping Manrique in continuing his cause in the Valley of Blessings Church, 2. Helping Manrique with medical expenses that he currently cannot afford, 3. Lastly, any remaining proceeds will be left to help “Qiqi” with any personal expenses. We are all beyond grateful for anything you can donate to help Manrique “QiQi” Sanchez.