Mentee Spotlight

This is not the first time Ellen has been in the program at the Center for Women in Transition. She first came into the program in 2001 while living at MERS Goodwill after committing her first offense. Even with having a job and a program to support her, her addiction to drugs overcame her ability to do much else and she began using again. It wasn’t long before she was re-arrested for stealing and spendt almost four years in prison in Vandalia, Missouri.

Without a support system to help her, Ellen relapsed and was arrested several more times in 2009. This time, there were two factors that made all the difference: Center Advocate Director Barbara Baker and a supportive public defender. “That was the first time a public defender ever said to me, ‘I want to keep you out of prison.’” Ellen said she knew of a program that might be effective and told him about the Center for Women in Transition. Barbara Baker helped her fill out the application and advocated on Ellen’s behalf with several judges and district attorneys to keep her out of prison and release her straight from custody to the Center’s Mentoring program. “Having a judge that knew Barb and knew about the program kept me out of prison,” said Ellen.

Ellen entered the Center for Women in Transition program in March of 2010 and has stayed sober ever since! Even with a support system, drug treatment, family support, and a mentor, Ellen said, “The hardest part was myself. I play the most important part in my reentry.” With the support of the Center she was able to stay focused and be around people that made a positive difference in her world.

She considers herself to be lucky. She has two daughters she is close to and a supportive family. She has been living at Courtois House since March 2010 and has a job at a South County restaurant. She has a lot of responsibility with checking in with her parole officer, attending drug treatment at BASIC, meeting with her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, and working with her Center mentor. She admits that life isn’t easy, but “it’s easier than being addicted to drugs and in prison.”

Ellen is working on going to high schools in the St. Louis area to talk to teenagers about the dangers of drugs and making the right choices in life. “Kids these days need a lot of guidance. And I am perfect for telling them about what it is like to be in prison and why they should make better choices.”

In 2001, Ellen admits she wasn’t ready to do the Center program. Eight years later, she is staying clean and sober, keeping a job, and making a better life for herself and her family. And she is right to be proud of these actions. She knows the process is not easy, but “I didn’t give myself a chance before,” she said.