Marcus Bullock was a sophomore in high school who just recently celebrated his birthday and was looking forward to Christmas break which was coming up soon when he made a terrible decision to carjack a man with his friend. At 15 years old Bullock was arrested for the carjacking and was sentenced to eight years in jail. His expectations of going to prom, graduating high school, playing basketball, and hopefully getting into the NBA were crushed when he realized he would not get out of jail until he was 23.

During this difficult time, Bullock’s mother would write him letters and send him photos of his family to try to remind him that there was more to life than what was right in front of him and that these next eight years would not last forever. His mother’s kindness is what gave him the idea now known as Flikshop.

Flikshop, created in 2012, is an app and website that creates customizable postcards that can be sent to inmates. Personal photos and messages can be put onto any postcard and it will be sent to the facility the next business day! The goal of Flickshop is for families to stay connected with their loved ones behind bars. On the website, there is an option to be a “Flickshop Angel” which is an opportunity to buy gift cards for families so that they can send postcards to their loved ones for free! These “angels” most likely will not know the families who will benefit from their generosity. Families can submit a request to receive these postcards for free and then the “angels” will donate or pay for the postcards, usually anonymously. The mission of Flikshop is to reduce recidivism rates (the chance of someone getting arrested again once they leave jail) by providing inmates with love and support just like Bullock’s mother did for him.