It takes a village and FOCUS is an integral part of it. They are wonderful.
-Spencer Douglas, Case Manager, Mental Health Partners
I recently contacted Focus in need of help. I had recently been arrested in Boulder County and was finally released and needed help to refocus my life. I wanted to turn my sole direction in a different way, one that was more positive, healthy and meaningful. The people of Focus welcomed me with an open-mind and were willing to go the mile in helping me get my life back on track. They helped me to maintain dental hygiene, getting me an appointment right away. They met me to give me clothes, backpacks, and fruit and veggie coupons worth $50 for Whole Foods. They helped me fill out housing applications. I have trouble completing these tasks on my own due to personal experiences. They also helped me get a LiVE bus pass. I am truly grateful for the help.
I now have a full time job that I’ve been able to maintain for 2 months, complete sobriety, and better relationships with my mom and son. I left an abusive relationship, have sought out therapy, and have been truly successful. They continue to keep in touch making sure I don’t need any services and to check on my progress.
Thank you Focus for all of your help and positivity. You helped to put me on the path to success. I am forever grateful. I hope to oneday be an inspiration and living success to help others see there is light at the end of the tunnel and that there are people willing to go the extra mile in helping those who need a helping hand.
Arlyss, Focus Reentry Client
The kindness, compassion and simple humanity displayed by Focus Reentry, through the volunteers and staff, is unparalleled and underappreciated. Focus changes lives, changes circumstances and creates futures for those most in need. They create futures for those who might otherwise become trapped in the criminal justice system because of hunger, homelessness or mental health struggles. They are always ready to help. Their combination of care, empathy, and hard work gives hope to any individual that Focus Reentry comes into contact with. This organization has a deep impact on countless lives who are each assured of their individual worth. It’s value to the community cannot be overstated.
-Megan Stewart.Public Defender
I would just like to communicate to you how significant and important to me interning at Focus Reentry has been for me. Getting to do things for others, in the selfless ways that I've witnessed The Focus Rentry Team operate, is exactly why I made some tough changes in my own life and am where I'm at today. It's the kind people that came along and kept helping me when I had thought the world had given up on me because I had given up on myself that allowed me to find some space and courage to believe in myself and change the course of my life. I really appreciate everything that you and the Focus Reentry team do for the members of this community that would otherwise go unnoticed, underappreciated, or just not cared about. I can say from personal experience that just being noticed, listened to, and having some support can actually change lives in amazing ways that were comply unseen and not expected at all. I am an example of what that can do for a person. I'm very grateful to have gotten to spend time interning with people that are doing the actual work that makes it possible for people’s lives to be a little bit easier and manageable. Then if it's the right time for them, start to take positive steps in a new direction that changes the course of their life for good. Once again, thank you for allowing me to witness how awesome and amazing all of you are and how beautiful and important the work all of you are doing is in this world. I'm looking very forward to continuing doing mentorship work with all of you. I love doing it and couldn't ask for a better group of people to get to learn how to be genuinely helpful and effective in promoting positive change in other people's lives.
-Lucas Volunteer/ Mentor
"Help another person through a tough patch. That was the task and main reward from my mentoring experience. It came with comradeship that's hard to find these days. Most weeks we'd meet for an hour or so. After some months we'd connect by telephone. Mentoring taught me the importance of luck, and how nearly-forgotten experiences can be valuable to others. I encourage you to try mentoring. FOCUS will teach you the skills you need, and mentoring will teach you about the world and about yourself."
- Larry, Focus ,Focus Volunteer Mentor
Focus Reentry has been instrumental in supporting men and women being released from Boulder County Jail. Most of the individuals I work with are vulnerable, high needs, and often lack a viable support system. Focus is there to support these individuals on a consistent basis. When Covid hit many of our other resources were not available. Focus did not skip a beat, they quickly adapted and stepped up their efforts to support some of our most vulnerable community members. It’s an honor to work along side such a wonderful, dedicated group. I am thankful for Molly and Lani and the entire Focus team that not only provides valuable resources but also offers hope. Thank you for all you do!
Sloane Costello M.S., LPC, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Jail Division, Mental Health Unit
I have worked with FOCUS Reentry for the last couple years in my role. They have been amazing collaborators and have provided our community with so many great resources and assistance. FOCUS has helped immensely with helping remove barriers to get our clients to be successful in the community. Our community is very fortunate to have them and the hard work they do.
Annie Destito, PACE Team Lead, 20th Judicial District
"My mentee and I were matched because she wanted a mentor who was a mom. As a mom of two teen boys, I could relate to her deep desire to be a good mother to her young sons. She had her youngest son only months before her latest incarceration and he now was in foster care with her friends. Her goals were to stay clean off meth and alcohol, get a job and her own place and then get her son back into her custody. We met three times in jail before she was released. On a rainy April day, she was released with only a small window of time before she had to report for work release. After a warm breakfast, we drove frantically around town getting her clothes, food, hygiene items, a visit with her mother to get money and to work release. My weekly visits at work release were filled with thrift store visits, finding a bike and a lot of emotional support. Despite heavy odds against her, she graduated from work release. I picked her up and took her to her mother’s home, the only place she had to stay. In the past, my mentee and her mother could not live together more than 24hrs, but now two years later, she is still living there. During and after work release, my mentee had family court each month. I attended every court case she had for over eight months and was the only friend she had in the court house. Together we walked through the extremely difficult hearings, and the final loss of her son to foster care.
Knowing if a person received a second chance can sometimes be hard to ascertain. Yet, my role as a mentor and friend was definitely needed in multiple high risk situations. My mentee had no one safe nor available to take care to get her basic needs met when she was released. During the difficult stresses of work release and court dates, she had my support, guidance, help and encouragement. She stayed clean, even when she received the devastating news that she lost her son. She later graduated from an 18 month parole and did not relapse during that time. By the end of a two year friendship, I knew her well. There were no family or friends able to stand by her and freely give unconditional love and support as I could. So, if a second chance is what you receive when you are given that, then I do believe she received one.
-Beth Mazzola, Focus Volunteer Mentor