Meet Mark
“Mark” had spent the majority of his adult life in and out of prison for petty theft. Upon release from prison in 2010, Mark came to the Friends Outside office and began utilizing services. He was not only able to access resources to meet his immediate needs for food,clothing and transportation but also received the support necessary to analyze his decision-making capabilities, and received guidance on making choices that would benefit his long-term goals. Mark enrolled in school, entered a sober living facility and surrounded himself with positive social peers. Today, he is an Aftercare Volunteer of Friends Outside and serves as a member of the Advisory Board supporting the program to make programmatic decisions based on client’s needs that are well-informed by evidence-based practices.
Meet Manuel
Manuel” came to Friends Outside as an Aftercare client, after being incarcerated in prison for more than eight years. He was concerned about tattoos that he had all over his body, including his face. He was referred to the local hospital for tattoo removal and came back to Friends Outside to volunteer to complete the hours required to have the tattoos removed. Though he only needed to volunteer a total of twenty hours, Manuel came back week after week volunteering a total of 65 hours in a three month period. He supported staff on any project necessary and helped in the big move of the Volunteer Center. Manuel contacted us to thank us for all of the support we gave him in his life personally. He has received a job and promised to come back and volunteer some more. We are so proud, Manuel overcame his fear of being judged by his tattoos and now can support his family in the community.
Meet Todd
Todd came to Friends Outside after being incarcerated in the state penitentiary system for 15 years. He was lost and confused and did not know how to begin planning for the future years ahead. His Re-entry Advocate Volunteer set him up with a list of small goals to complete and offered once a week meetings as an immediate needs resource respite from the stress. Armed with a bus pass and some clothing Todd came back week after week, checking off each small goal, with a smile. Today, Todd has accessed social services, has a resume, applied for jobs, goes to AA daily, and began volunteer activities. He even recently got a call back for a job interview. He has completed all of this while homeless and on a wait-list for the shelter. Todd exemplifies how with minimal resources and ongoing support from and trained and caring volunteer, client’s can be motivated to achieve success.
Meet Jose
"Jose” is a WRAP client we began working with in April of 2009. After locating him we realized that he had 12 children and feared reporting because he did not have the money to pay his fines. After Jose spoke with our WRAP specialist, it was explained to him that we could support him with converting his fines into volunteer hours. He went to our local Watsonville Volunteer Center branch and paid off all of his fines by giving back his time to the community. As he became more involved he wanted to secure more regular employment and found a position open through the city of Watsonville. Though his fines were paid, he was still on probation. Again his WRAP specialist suggested that he return to the judge to request that due to good behavior he be released from his probation sentence. The judge agreed, he applied for the job and was free from the anxiety of restrictions that may be imposed from being on probation.
Meet Zach
Zach started out with Friends Outside as a student in our “Thinking for a Change” class, which is taught to inmates in the men’s minimum-security jail. Through this class, Zach developed cognitive thinking skills, problem solving skills and social skills that were previously underdeveloped due to years of substance abuse. He looked forward to his release from jail so that he could put his new skills to use in re-developing his relationship with his wife who was also being released from jail. Zach and his wife had been married for some time prior to their arrests, but they spent their entire marriage – up to that point – addicted to illegal substances. Both Zach and his wife were looking forward to beginning their lives, and marriage anew based on a foundation of sobriety and personal edification. Upon release from custody, both worked with Friends Outside’s Reentry Advocates to aid in their goals. Both are living in sober living environments and are making strides to maintain their sobriety and becoming productive members of the community. Zach has entered the ACE program at Cabrillo – where he is excelling academically – and wants to get an Associates degree in Business. He also aspires to become a motivational speaker so that he can inspire others to end their cycle of incarceration and become proud citizens. As a stepping stone towards achieving this goal, he applied for and received acceptance to train under the Santa Cruz County Community Corrections Partnership’s Speakers Bureau
