“We did it! We did it!” screamed Luke as he rejoined dozens of his friends shortly after being released from a two-year stint at Washington State Prison this Monday morning.  From prison, he and a busload of us headed to a park in his childhood neighborhood to be reunited with his family, run a 5K (you’ll notice Luke’s first-place medal in the photo) and eat a ton of food.

Luke had only two days to spend in Atlanta, but when we said goodbye this time it was without the frustration of walking away from his structured visitations, and without the tears we remember with such bitterness from two years ago.

An enormous weight has been lifted, and our friend is back in our arms. We did it. With Luke’s strength as our example, we did it.

Now Luke, still banished from his home-state, is headed toward a new life, sure…

On July 25th at 9 am Luke O’Donovan will walk out of Washington State Prison after serving two years there.  We are thrilled to see our friend free from behind prison walls. He is in high spirits and very excited to be released. As many of you who have been in touch with him know, he has occupied his time with a rigorous workout routine, lots of reading, and correspondence with all those who took the time to communicate with him.

Unfortunately he will not be allowed to return to his home and life in Atlanta. Due to the judge adding a banishment condition to his probation, Luke will have to move all the way to the West Coast for the next eight years, or until the conditions of his probation are changed. Moving forward, here are some ways to continue to support Luke as he starts life on strict…