Dear Neighbors, 

Today marks five years of Rainy Day Fund, and I am deeply grateful to everyone who has supported this work. What began as an idea over a Zoom call in the early days of COVID-19 has grown into a powerful community committed to ensuring that justice is accessible, regardless of someone’s ability to pay. 

As I reflect on the last five years, a few things stand out in my mind:  

• Our impact has grown exponentially. In our first year of funding, we supported just 11 individuals. Today, we support more than 400 people in a single day at our clinics. We’ve been entrusted with over ten grants from partners including the SC Bar Foundation, the SC Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and the Family and Children’s Trust. We’ve grown from distributing $1,100 in our first year to over $300,000 in 2024.

• Our mission remains unwavering. We set out to meet the immediate financial needs that shape legal outcomes – vital records, transportation, and more. We have since expanded to include restitution, court-ordered classes, emergency hotel stays, driver’s license reinstatement, and other critical services. Through it all, one belief guides us: your bank account should never determine your access to justice. 

• Our work is community-led. Volunteers, neighbors, and local partners shape everything we do, both in identifying needs and in delivering support. With an all-volunteer board and two fully grant-funded staff members, we ensure that the generous dollars we receive go directly back into the community. 

As we celebrate this milestone, we are also looking ahead. The next five years hold enormous potential, but only if we continue to grow together. Your support today directly determines how many of our neighbors we can help tomorrow. 

Here are meaningful ways you can help sustain and expand Rainy Day Fund’s impact: 

1. Spread the word. Follow us on social media and share our work. Your voice helps more people find us.

2. Volunteer. From attorneys to setup crews, our clinics run on community power. 

3. Become a monthly donor.

   1. $12/month provides 12 birth certificates each year. 

   2. $45/month creates the possibility of a second chance for 5 people applying for pardons.

   3. $100/month helps four people complete diversion programs and keep their records clear. 

4. Make a special 5th-birthday gift. Every donation, large or small, goes to support our neighbors facing barriers in the legal system.

Thank you for being part of our story, for believing in what’s possible, and for helping us continue our impact over the next five years.

With deep appreciation,
Kieley Sutton 
Co-Founder & Executive Director 
Rainy Day Fund

P.S. -- If you’re in Columbia, S.C., join us for our birthday celebration and percentage-night fundraiser on 12/4/2025 at The Hoot on Rosewood! Enjoy birthday cake, drinks, or an appetizer – 10% of all sales from the day will support Rainy Day Fund. We’d love to celebrate with you.