Empowering Second Chances

For years, I worked on the front lines for the City and County of Denver, helping individuals and families apply for food assistance, Medicaid, and TANF. I was part of a system that — when it worked — truly connected people to stability and resources. I saw the power of community partnerships when they aligned with city programs to create real change. That gave me hope.

But life moved me to Miami, and that hope was tested. The need there was overwhelming, but the systems were fragmented and disconnected. Even with my knowledge of how to navigate benefits and resources, I couldn't access the help I needed for myself or my family. I couldn't schedule a simple driver's license appointment for months. Agencies didn't talk to each other. The community providers weren't connected to the city or the state. We were on our own.

Before any of that, I had already lived through addiction, incarceration, family separation, and unemployment. So when I say I understand the system from both sides, I mean it. I didn't just study reentry — I survived it.

I returned to Colorado discouraged — with a deep knowing that something was wrong. I had all the tools. I had worked in government. I had the experience. And still, I struggled to get a job because of my background. Wages were low. Opportunities were few. And I couldn't shake the thought: If someone like me couldn't access help, how was anyone else supposed to survive it?

That was my turning point. I realized I didn't want to keep watching the system fail people. I wanted to build something that filled in the gaps. I was offered a job as a peer coach, and that's when it all clicked. Everything I'd learned — my time in public service, my lived experience, my dream of building a DUI recovery program — all of it started to align.

I knew I wanted to create something deeper than just a program. I wanted to build a system where people didn't fall through the cracks. A place where returning citizens could find sobriety, support, and self-worth — with dignity, not judgment. That's how Roots of Reentry was born.

Roots is more than an organization. It's a reflection of everything I've lived, seen, and overcome. We combine peer support, court-approved services, sober transportation, certification pathways, and family healing tools — all under one tree. It's built on real people, real accountability, and a real chance at change.

I believe in second chances because I've lived one. And I believe in building systems by the people and for the people — not for profit, not for punishment, but for healing.

Roots of Reentry is my offering to the world — a bridge between broken systems and the people they were meant to serve.

We're here. We're growing. And we're just getting started.