Office Manager

Today, I work for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas as the criminal justice outreach coordinator. Earlier this year, I became a published author, and I have been chosen for fellowships with local and national leadership organizations. I am also really proud of a summer cooking “program” that I started with my kids. They are tasked with going through our recipe books and choosing something to cook for a family dinner, writing the ingredients down so I can shop for them, and then — with help — cooking the meal. They love it because they get to choose a dessert, and I love the time we get to spend together doing something that is fun and teaches them to be independent.

I do a lot for the transitional women’s ministry, New Beginnings-Big Country (NBBC), which supports women coming out of jail and prison here in Abilene. I volunteer many hours doing mostly administrative and behind-the-scenes stuff. I write letters that women need for any number of reasons, handle housing paperwork, print acceptance letters for incarcerated women and do a newsletter for the organization. I built and maintain frameworks for tracking women from prison to NBBC to beyond. There’s a lot more, but it’s difficult to list it all. It just comes naturally. While I prefer many times to build capacity versus perform direct services, direct service is part of the package too.

I recently wrote and received a grant for United Way catalyst funding for NBBC and conducted a campaign for our local AbileneGives. The total just from those two efforts was almost $20,000. I’m super happy about that!

My life today is completely different than the life that sent me to prison. I have been clean and sober for 9-plus years. I have an associate’s degree in applied sciences with an emphasis in chemical dependency. I am one class from completing a bachelor’s degree in addiction psychology. My life is a testimony about how a woman can change her life and become a servant leader to society. I spend a lot of time with family, especially my granddaughters. My life is very busy but very fruitful.

I am a volunteer program facilitator with Truth Be Told. I go into the prison once a week to facilitate the Talk to Me Speaking class, where the women create a 5- to 7-minute speech about their life experiences and choices that led to their incarceration. I do this work because I know all too well what prison feels like because my story has several chapters of incarceration in it. I want to be a beacon of hope and light to any woman who has a desire to change.

My life today is more than amazing and full of ‘awe-full’ moments. To think that my life almost eight years ago was a wreck. I only had a sixth grade education, a broken spirit and a death wish. Today, I have two degrees — an associate of applied sciences degree in general human services and a bachelor of science degree in social psychology. I have been sober for almost eight years after a 25-year dance with death and six felonies.

My life today is so full of beauty, even in the hard times. I never believed I would be where I am today.