A Vision Born of Love and Loss

In a world where technology connects us in the blink of an eye, one question haunted Rolando Nooks: What happens when someone can’t be there for the final goodbye?

It was a moment seared into his heart. At his father’s funeral in Jamaica, Rolando held his phone close his sister on FaceTime, thousands of miles away, devastated that she couldn’t make it to their father’s service. “She was his favorite,” Rolando recalls. “She needed to be there. So I did what I could I tucked the phone in my jacket pocket so she could be with us, even if only through a screen.”

That moment simple, raw, profoundly human sparked the idea that would one day grow into Compassionate Reprieve, a first-of-its-kind nonprofit dedicated to offering incarcerated individuals the ability to virtually attend the funerals of their loved ones.

The First of His Kind

Compassionate Reprieve is revolutionary, and Rolando Nooks knows it. “There’s no other company doing this. And to my knowledge, I’m the first Black founder in the world offering this kind of service,” he says with a mix of humility and bold conviction.

Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Rolando is no stranger to hardship or ingenuity. “We’re a proud people,” he says. “We may come from little, but we make much. That spirit that Jamaican resilience lives in everything I do.”

The nonprofit, which officially launched only months ago after four years of groundwork, is already disrupting a space most never knew existed. With funeral streaming as the vehicle and empathy as the fuel, Compassionate Reprieve brings dignity and closure to those behind bars people often written off, yet still deserving of humanity.

A Story That Fuels the Mission

When asked about the “why,” Rolando doesn’t hesitate. He shares the heartbreaking story of a grieving mother with one son incarcerated, one son lost to suicide, and a third on the brink of taking his own life. She didn’t want her incarcerated son to know about the suicide. “She was overwhelmed, broken,” Rolando recounts. “I’m not a mental health professional, but I knew she needed someone to help her manage this impossible moment.”

With Compassionate Reprieve, he didn’t just provide technical services. He offered presence, patience, and peace in the midst of pain. “It’s not just about streaming a service,” he says. “It’s about lifting a burden that nobody else sees.”

Why ‘Compassionate Reprieve’?

“Compassion is the heart of what we do,” Rolando explains. “And a ‘reprieve’ is a temporary release from a difficult situation. Even if just for a few moments, we give people a release from the pain of being forgotten, from the isolation of incarceration.”

That name carries power. It speaks volumes before Rolando ever has to explain what he does. “We’re not just offering a service. We’re offering a human moment that says, you still matter.”

From Kingston to Georgia: The Journey of Becoming

Now living in Atworth, Georgia, with his wife of over 20 years and their three children, Rolando’s journey has taken him far from the streets of Kingston but he’s never forgotten his roots. “I grew up in a house full of women, no father. I had to step up early at 19, I was helping pay bills, taking care of my family,” he shares.

That sense of responsibility never left him. Today, he’s a dedicated father and husband, instilling the same values in his kids that carried him through struggle. “My job is to give them the foundation,” he says. “I can’t control what they do with it, but I’ll make sure they’re equipped.”

Technology may have started as an escape a way to hide from expectations but it became his passion, his purpose. “I took a computer class because I knew nobody in my house would ask me about homework,” he laughs. “But then I realized, I can do this. And from there, I never looked back.”

Faith, Family, and a Fierce Commitment to Purpose

Underneath the tech-savvy, visionary leader is a man of deep faith. “Seek God,” Rolando says simply. “That’s the first step. It took me a while to find my purpose, but once I did, I knew I had to follow it. This is my calling.”

He’s unapologetically clear that this isn’t about the money. “Do it for love. The money will come. And when you move in passion, people will chase you,” he says.

But passion isn’t enoughyou need consistency. “Sometimes it won’t work the first time. That doesn’t mean it’s not meant to be. It just means it’s not the right time. Stay the course.”

The Legacy He’s Building

What Rolando Nooks is building is bigger than a nonprofit. It’s a legacy of compassion, justice, innovation, and faith. A bridge between families and the forgotten. A model for what purpose-driven tech can look like.

“Compassionate Reprieve is not just a service. It’s a ministry. It’s a movement,” Rolando says. “And I’ll keep building, until every incarcerated person has the chance to say goodbye, to feel seen, and to know that even in the darkest moments, they are not alone.”

To Learn More or Support the Movement

Visit compassionatereprieve.org
Follow on Instagram: @compassionatereprieve