Things were not always easy for me. In fact, growing up on “the wrong side of the tracks” made life a story of everyday survival. Poverty, crime, and drugs were what I considered normal. I had run-ins with the law, suspensions from school and parents who were substance abusers which I lost both to addiction in 2017 and 2019. But I somehow survived and prospered because of the people I met along the way. I am taking my pain and putting it into positivity. Fact is, for all of my troubles, I loved my town and the people in it. I even married a policeman I met there and now have a beautiful young daughter together. I resolved to someday help people, who like me, just needed a chance in life when surviving felt almost impossible.

In 2021, I made the best decision of my life to enroll in college. As a last-ditch effort to make something of myself pursuing a degree in psychology, I met my now mentor and board chair, Dr. Ray Brannon. During his effective speech class, I expressed to him my desire to help others that are struggling. I want to put my trauma, care and compassion into something great to give others resources, hope and a positive path in life. We created this nonprofit together. Dr. Brannon gave me hope when I thought I was just a lost cause. He has stuck alongside me for the last two and half years and together we have created something I hope will impact many, many lives.

Now I am giving back to the community I love. A community I have seen first-hand lack the resources and opportunities needed for help and growth. I am the founder and chief executive officer of a nonprofit The Jeannette Outreach Factory, Inc. Our plans call for integration with the business community, churches, and other public service nonprofits in our city with the intention of fighting unemployment for justice-involved youth, education mentorship, GED prep classes, substance abuse counseling/assistance and community meeting space.