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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- This holiday season FOX21 News is teaming up with the Colorado Springs Independent to profile local charities as part of the GIVE! Campaign 2009.

This week's featured organization is Pikes Peak Restorative Justice (PPRJ).

PPRJ promotes and supports restorative justice principals and practices to enable victims, offenders and the community to repair harms and restore relationships.

For Karen Lee, Justin Kovach and Kaleena Kovach, communication has not always been easy. Just over a year ago, Justin was arrested for possession of marijuana, an event that deeply hurt his mother and sister.

"My brother and I are really close, and after he got in trouble I was really upset and I did not trust him anymore and I felt betrayed," Kaleena Kovach said.

Instead of just doing community service, Justin Kovach said he decided to go through the restorative justice process. There he said he was able to tell his family why he was smoking pot.

"It was a platform, an opportunity for me to communicate with my family openly. I had never been able to do that before, and it was honest and not emotionally charged because there was a facilitator there to keep it on a level ground," Justin Kovach said.

Justin Kovach had another reason to participate in the program -- his mom is a staff facilitator with PPRJ.

She said restorative justice is about healing, for both victims and offenders.

"Basically, we hold conferences or conversations between victims and offenders, and we invite community members, and it is a voluntary program and the offender has to be ready for it, so they have to be sorry for what they have done and do their best to try and fix it," Karen Lee said.

Something Justin Kovach worked to do, and in time he said he was able to repair his relationship with his mother and sister.

Now the family said they are closer than ever.

"We can communicate with each other without feeling emotionally charged, and be honest," Justin Kovach said.

To learn more about Pikes Peak Restorative Justice or to donate click here.