SPEAKER_00 1:48

Welcome to the Hilltop Glove Podcast, where we bring you inspiring stories of individuals and organizations making a positive impact in our communities. Today we are honored to have Patsy Gardner, the Executive Director of a Second Chance Resource Center Network. Located in Charleston, South Carolina, Second Chance Resource Center is a nonprofit organization that serves former felons, families of felons, and anyone struggling with substance abuse. Their mission is to empower justice-involved individuals and families by providing re-entry case management services. They use a holistic approach that includes parenting education, job readiness, career planning, tutoring and mentoring, financial literacy, and education on arts and culture. With over 25 years in program training and community outreach, ASCRC and its staff have provided leadership to address and promote issues concerning the life, journey, of the justice-involved individual and their families. They also have a transitional house called the Phoenix House. And as for males who are being released from incarceration, as well as young adults aging out of foster care, we are excited to hear more about Patsy's experience with ASCRC and their work in the tri-county communities of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester counties, as well as the low-count count uh the low country communities of Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Buford, Collitton, Jasper, and Hampton in the state of South Carolina. Thank you for joining us today. How are you doing, Miss Patsy?

SPEAKER_06 3:11

Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm doing great. My voice is a little out because I just finished homecoming at St. Augustine's University with my Sauros after 35 years celebrating Delta Sigma Theater. So this is how I came back.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

So please excuse my voice. No, you're fine. You are fine. We're just glad to have you here today. I think I speak for myself and the rest of our group when I say, man, we love to speak to people who are involved in the community and who are a part of efforts to better and to also serve our people in a good and a positive way. So today, and I will tell you this. These questions, just so you know, they're written up by Mr. Maya Allen. She's not here with us today, but she does a great job of combing for information. Always always like to say, doing her little ninja work to figure out what is going on and identifying people. So if there's anything that you want to add or update to this, we always ask people to please let us know. But we do our best to comb and get information on you all before we start. However, we're gonna start with our first question. It's always what we like to start off with is we like to ask you a little bit about the history of your childhood, uh, the experiences that you might have had that led you into the path or the career that you are in today. So if you just explain to our audience a little bit about your background, where you're from, or some of the things that you did in your upbringing that led you to where you are.

SPEAKER_06 4:33

Okay. Great. I'm I'm originally from St. George, South Carolina. It's a rural area. I like to call myself a country girl.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

Ain't nothing wrong with that.

SPEAKER_06 4:41

Um, I have four brothers. Um, and I like to tell people, I came from a blended, blended family um background. My mom and dad um split up when I was two years old. And so it was me and my brother. And so we actually had the pleasure of living with my mom sometime in Maryland. She moved to Baltimore, Maryland. And then my dad stayed in South Carolina. He was a military. And he, after getting out of the military, he lived in Santee, South Carolina. So every summer we we had to flip-flop um with them and holidays, but we actually stayed and lived with my grandmother, my mother's mother, down in St. George. So, with that, me and my brother, we were grateful enough to get a blended family. We got two sisters from my mom being remarried, and four brothers, three brothers from my dad. And so I truly tell people I know what a blended family looks like because we lived it. Um, I had a wonderful father. He's deceased. He died almost four years ago around Thanksgiving. So Thanksgiving time is a rough time for me because I'm his only daughter. Um, but our mother's still alive. She lives in Maryland. And I have three brothers out of the four. Um, I lost my oldest brother to gun violence, my first Mother's Day 25 years ago. So I'll tell you a little bit more once we start talking about some of the services that a second chance does and why gun violence is so important to me. But our childhood was very good. Um, I went to St. Augustine's College, got my undergrad in criminal justice, got my master's from Webster University, finishing up my PhD now at age 55.

SPEAKER_00 6:32

Ain't no time like the present, right?

SPEAKER_06 6:34

Yes, because life happened. My background is social work. Um, I worked with the child protectment services um for almost 11 years in Dorchester County as a supervisor for investigations and treatment. I moved on to mental health, um, worked with ages 16 to 21, did a little bit with the federal government, um, worked with the electronic monitoring. So my background is really rich, but in 2000, I got into the nonprofit world. That's how I was introduced to the nonprofit world in 2000. Well, at 2000, it was great. I was able to flourish. And in 2008, that's when life happened. What happened? Folks look at, and I often ask people, what does a justice-involved individual look like? Um, and they they do not, they don't know what it looks like because it has no face. But for me, very dear because that was the time in 2010 I found myself looking at a federal charge. Um, because I had taken a job as executive director in Detroit County, and and everything went sour. Um, folks who might know, they might know about Berkeley, Dorchester Economic Development. Um, that that was the nonprofit that I took over in 2005. That's the nonprofit that landed me in 2010, the end of 2010, two days before Thanksgiving to a federal camp down in Coleman's, Florida. Whoa. Um, and at that time, I had an 18-year marriage. Um, our son was six years old, our daughter was 12 years old. And I can tell you, I was angry as heck because I had put about 20-some years in the community. I had probably served on over probably 25 boards. I was in the media constantly of the good works that I was doing throughout the Tri-County and throughout the state. Um, but at that time it was Judge Duffy. And the Savage was out, was my attorney. I had a whole team. But I'm telling you, that's an experience I will never ever forget. And that's how second chance was birth, um, because of my 25-month stint in Coleman's Florida camp. Um, the first six months was really, really hell for me. Um, I just couldn't believe it. I was angry with the community, I was angry with politicians, I was angry with God because I felt at that time I was a scapegoat. And I tell people often, did I know about some of the things? Yes, I did, but I walked into a mind.

SPEAKER_05 9:29

Right.

SPEAKER_06 9:29

Um and what could I do? Because how can someone with my education, background, professional experience, certifications tell a federal judge that you knew about A, but you didn't know about B. He wasn't hearing it. He was like, You're you're too smart for that. He was looking at the outer, out of the outside of me. Um, and so it ended up, we took a plea for conspiracy. Um, and as you know, with federal, that's probably the only governing judicial part that has conspiracy. The state does not have that. Um, because of my work in the community, I got letters from former mayors, ombudsman, um, councilmen, councilwomen. Um, but all of that played good. But the judge ended up giving me a 37-month census. That was the smallest he could do. That's the lowest he could do based on my experience in it and the work that I did in the community. So I actually did 25 months. Um, and in those 25 months, I'll go back, just like I said, the first six months, I just couldn't believe it. I was so angry. Um, but as time moved on, a young man from Alabama came to the camp and he was actually preaching that day. Um, and we were required to camp. If anybody knows about a federal camp, it's almost like going to boot camp or being in college. So there is no fence, there's no bars, there's no guns. It's a camp. Um, but I often tell people, I don't minimize that because you're not home, you're not with your husband, you're not with your family, your mom, dad, or your kids. But at that six-month mark, this pastor came in and we were required to go to church. And I only went because I did not want to get in trouble. Because I was angry with God. So I actually went that night because I had no choice. And I'll never forget this pastor. He came out, and by this time, it was about 700 women at the camp. And I'm talking about women from all walks of life. I'm talking judges, lawyers, congresswomans from Chicago, um, open heart surgeons, um, I mean, women, professional women.

SPEAKER_04 11:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 11:50

But then on the other side, there were a few, there were drug dealers also that had worked their way down to a camp level that had actually been behind the fence. Um, and so as I began to start looking, this pastor said there was a young lady in there from South Carolina. And by this time, at that 700 women, it's probably about 110 of us there from throughout the state of South Carolina. But the more he started to talk, I knew he was talking about me. But I said nothing because I was still so angry. But I'm gonna fast forward it. Um at the end of the night, this pastor actually came through and looked at 700 women and he sought me out. But I knew when he was beginning to talk, he was talking about me. And from that night on, my life changed at the camp. I began to start reading my Bible again. Um and when my family would come, because I had visits every week, every weekend, um I just looked at it and said, you know what? I could have been um, I could have been anything. I could have been sick. So I had to look at it and I went to the verse in the Bible that that said about hiding God was hiding you in his secret pavilion. And that's where I got peace at that I felt me being at Coleman's camp was that pavilion he was hiding me in. So from that day forward, I actually started doing the work inside that I was doing outside. I helped about 37 women get their GED. Um, I went out to have a tattoo of Manities Monday through Friday, um, volunteering. It was almost like God was waiting for me to accept this assignment that He'd given me. And then He opened up the doors. So I found myself those last 19, 20 months being outside and all I was doing was sleeping there. And that was that was a safe haven for me because to be there and could not do the work that I was used to doing for the last 20-some years, I felt like my walls was closing in. Um, so to fast forward, Second Chance Resource Center was birthed there. It was birthed at Coleman's Camp down in Florida. When I came back home in 2013, um I didn't know what to do. I I just wanted to just go back in my house and go in a shell. Um, and I started applying, applying, and I actually got a lot of interviews. But what I found out from that from those interviews, there were so many discriminatory practices when folks start asking you questions when you have to check that box.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

Right. We know what box you talk about. When we talk about that box, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 14:53

Have you do you have a pass? Have you ever been incarcerated? Yeah and as many times as people like to minimize being to a camp, because I'm I've never had on handcuffs, I've never been in a police car, I've never been in county jail, I've never experienced that. But what I experienced was being removed from my home.

SPEAKER_02 15:13

Right.

SPEAKER_06 15:13

Um, and I and I had to I self-surrendered. The judge gave me six months to get my affairs in order. Um, so what you think about that? That's crazy, right?

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Right. Um explain that to our audience a little so they can understand what you're saying. Yes, you're not a flight wrist. Yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_06 15:32

Um, I mean, I had six months to get my get our children in order, to get our family affairs in order, make sure my husband had everything he needed to have in place. Um, so when I come back, you know, we everything would be fine. But let me tell you this: what I did experience at the federal camp, I was able to come, I had three furloughs. And people say, what in the world is that? Um, I was able to check out of the federal camp. Um, I had a 12-hour furlough, I had a 36-hour furlough, and I had a five-day furlough where I actually flew back home and helped my husband make sure all fares were still in order and helped get our kids ready for school. It's wild, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:19

That is wild.

SPEAKER_06 16:20

But but it really said make it harder then? It was, you know what? It was hard for my parents and my grandparents then because my mom was like, if you can come home, if you can check in and out of a federal camp, why you couldn't stay? Why could why could not be alternative sentencing? Right, yeah, right.

SPEAKER_03 16:41

Well, if the if if if the system knows that you're not gonna like be out here doing the very exactly, and they know that you're a social worker, you're gonna do stuff for the community anyway. Why not just work it off uh working for the community?

SPEAKER_00 16:54

Or have like a monitor on and yeah at home and checking, checking in.

SPEAKER_03 16:58

Yeah, yeah. What you doing? Oh, oh, you're out saving kids today? Keep it coming, keep it going, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 17:04

Yeah, so so that I think that was the furious part for my parents, especially my mom.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

Um like a tease.

SPEAKER_06 17:11

Yeah, because I get to come home for five days and then I have to go back. Um, but I was I was happy because I got to sleep in my own bed. I got to be around my family, um, my husband, my friends, things like that. But when it was time to go back, of course, it was like, oh my gosh, you have to go back. Um, but one of the other good things that I got out of the camp, um, they started a class where you can become a licensed alcohol and drug counselor. Um, so I was able, it chose 12 ladies, and I was one of the ladies that was chosen. So I did get my alcohol and license drugs, license certification, and I still have those licensed today. Um that that was a good thing. That was that was really a good thing because I probably wouldn't have gotten it outside because I was already in the working field doing what I needed to do. So I did get that within those 20, 25 months. Um, also, one of the things happened, it was time for me to come home. I was thinking I was going to the halfway house here in Charleston. The halfway house is a federal and state halfway house. It holds 40 men and eight females. And that could be those eight females could be federal or state. So we, and I know you got a question later about the community. So I'm I'm tying into this. There's only eight placements for females.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

Right.

SPEAKER_06 18:35

So when I got the call, we're talking halfway houses.

SPEAKER_02 18:37

Right.

SPEAKER_06 18:38

So when I got the when I got the call into my case manager's office and she said um that things have changed, then my personality changed because I already knew it was only eight houses, eight placements here. So I thought she was calling me to tell me that I had to stay at the camp for six months rather than coming home to be at the halfway house for six months.

SPEAKER_04 19:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 19:05

But that was not what she was saying. Um she's like, calm down, calm down. So what really happened was I was I was one of the per I was the person chosen to be able to come leave the camp and come straight home. Wow, okay. They consider that a model.

SPEAKER_02 19:22

Right. Right.

SPEAKER_06 19:23

So I laugh. I said, okay, a model. Um so I came straight home. I came straight home. And then um I struggled um with finding jobs. The first job I landed was an eye on because I would have worked for free at this point because I wanted to get back into the community. And they used, they used me. They needed to have their group home saved. And I went in, they had three months, I got everything in order within a month. So Department of Social Service came in and DJJ came in and they looked at this group home and their services was impeccable. At that time, they they were paying me $18 an hour. When DJJ and DSS left and said they would be back in three years, I got called into the office two weeks later, and they dropped me from $18 to $12. Then at that time, a couple of weeks later, they dropped me from $12 to $8. And that's when I realized here's another discriminatory practice to justice involved individuals.

SPEAKER_02 20:40

We know that you can't get a job somewhere else, so we can do whatever we want. Right.

SPEAKER_06 20:44

Well, exactly. I heard the the female owner of it say it, what is she gonna do? She got a background. But at that point, that's when I got my voice back. Um, because I've always been an advocate for this disadvantaged, social diseconomic individuals and families. And so that's when I got my voice back, and I went home and told my husband about it, and he said, quit. And I said, No, I'm still a professional. So I gave my two weeks' notice.

SPEAKER_00 21:17

There you go.

SPEAKER_06 21:18

I exit, and I tell you this, I fast forward today. Now that same company is willing to pay me $500 an hour to come in and do it. And do consulting for them.

SPEAKER_04 21:34

Exactly.

SPEAKER_06 21:35

And do consulting for them because they're they're losing their their business. Um, but of course I didn't take it because second chance is my baby, it's my love. Um, we we're impacting lives every day because I'm a social worker. That's where the holistic model came from. It is trademark. Our holistic um approach model is trademark. It's been trademarked now for about three years. Um, and we have served. I know you're asking this question. I would say we have actually effectively served on the last 10 years about 3,600 individuals in their families. Wow. Our um retention rate for jobs is 94%. Our recidorism rate is 97%.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Good lord.

SPEAKER_06 22:22

Um, and we serve the whole person, the whole family. So we have a dynamic youth department, um, a youth coordinator. We have a dynamic relink pathway to homes. Um, we partner with the Department of Corrections. We partner with the Feds, we partner with the local detention centers that's in the Tri-County, in the low country. Um, we have a re-entry council that started three months ago. Um, Second Chance is the lead on that re-entry council for the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Um, I am the chairperson, which is great because what we do is we help do that seamless process of individuals that's being returned back to their community. Department of Social, Department of Corrections have 21 facilities, and we work with all 21 of those facilities. So everyone that's coming back to the Tri-County or to these areas, we get to touch them. I'll just use the Tri-County.

SPEAKER_02 23:27

Oh man. So you like to put a contact base.

SPEAKER_06 23:31

Because we have other community partners that do reentry. Yeah, but I like to laugh and smile and pat my staff on the back because I see us as that catalyst. We are the engine that they're calling out. Because we do it holistically. Because on our average month, just from the Department of Corrections, we have 150 individuals coming back to the Tri-County. And that's just the Tri-County. So over a year, you're talking about 1,800 individuals. Do we touch all of them? No, we don't.

SPEAKER_03 24:05

Right, right.

SPEAKER_06 24:06

Because we just don't have the arm with.

SPEAKER_03 24:08

Right.

SPEAKER_06 24:08

But we do our best. We have three office locations. And of course, you know, we have the transitional house. So we're expanding rapidly. I just, I'm happy because I just got notification on Tuesday that I have been selected to serve on the Criminal Justice Correlated Council, which I really, really wanted that because it places us in a room where we really can expand the services to help individuals and families. I'm hoping, I'm not speaking out of term, but I think I will be the first African-American female to sit on this council.

SPEAKER_00 24:47

Wow. I I have to say this too, right? While you're because you all don't just return people, you restore people and their families. And that's this is one of the biggest things I've always liked to make a point of when it comes to the quote unquote correctional facilities and rehabilitative units and et cetera, is going to recidivism. And speaking about that, the fact that you're putting people back onto in the civilian world that haven't been given either training, um, resources, a pathway to restore them as a citizen, as a full citizen. Right.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

Usually they're critical bias, cultural bias, this and then this cloak, the businesses could do whatever they want, and it's okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:33

That's why I'm happy you said it from your story because so people realize, like you said, you weren't a um a violent offender or anything like that, and you were still getting the same.

SPEAKER_03 25:43

They clearly could do the work.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

Exactly. And they were benefiting from it, right? Uh-huh. Uh-huh. And they still just treated you the same way. They gave you that that that fence, that gate, the fence that exists outside to keep you from being able to move along. And that is a very harmful thing. I know, um, speaking personally, we have um, I have family, I have a brother that went through the same situation, and it's still affecting him to this day. And this and this has been over 12, 15 years. Um, and you still have that issue of being able to get through and having to worry about that checkbox of just trying to get yourself back into the world to be a productive citizen, is extremely difficult. Um, one thing I do want to touch on, just a quick question to throw in there for you, is I like how your second chance uh resource center. Um, we always hear everybody talking about second chances and folks deserving second chances. Uh, do you truly believe that? And can you tell ways uh of course that of course as you already told us about the ways that you offer support for them? But my thing is that question, do you really believe that everyone deserves a second chance? Um, and if you do have some case cases that you can make inferences on, on how you've seen people improve uh through going through your programs, we'd love for you to talk about that just so our audience can hear those stories.

SPEAKER_06 27:02

Yes, I truly, truly believe in um second chances and that everyone does deserve a second chance. If they have a date where they're going to be released and coming back into the community, into their families, into society as a whole, they should be given that opportunity. Um, we should not be looking in their rear view mirror. We should be looking forward because yes, that's their past. Um have they been really been rehabilitated while being incarcerated? I hear people all the time say the prisons and the jails have not done their job. And I tell them, I beg the difference. They have done their job. Because people need to understand that the job of a prison facility and a jail facility is to house. And that's what they're doing. They are housing. But it takes advocacy, it takes legislators, it takes the community as a whole to look at and say, what programs do we need inside of these facilities to help rehabilitate? So if they do not have the certifications and the simple where they can get a GED or work on um getting a high school diploma or some type of trade, then yes, we have failed them. But until we get our lawmakers and our churches and our communities and individuals going back and fighting for that, then we will constantly always say they have not done their job, but they're doing their job because their job is to house So you think this is an advocacy issue.

SPEAKER_00 28:51

It's an advocacy issue. Well, we start um just to pick back up where we were talking about um the importance of advocacy and how the system that you get into whenever you are bought into a rehabilitative or detention center, et cetera, don't offer, and this is one of the things I thought that was sad is like the limitation of the programs are or programs being removed from those organizations or those bodies, and them expecting folks to come out and have skills, traits, and abilities to make a legal lifestyle. Could you explain how your program offers that to folk and some stories that you have out of your program, some folks who have had that ability to make that change and complete your programs?

SPEAKER_06 29:35

Okay, yes. Um this December 31st will be two years that a second chance resource center started Pathway to Homes. And that pathway to homes came straight out of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Um we we did a model with a young lady that had served 25 and a half years. Um she was coming out on December 31st, which was even it was it was also her birthday, believe it or not. And that was on a Friday, Saturday, Friday. So she December 31st was on a Saturday. So she came out that Friday. And as you know, most places are closed because it's um Christmas, it's New Year's Eve.

SPEAKER_05 30:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 30:28

So we opened up and we did, we worked with her, but prior to that, six months to her being released, we bought the Pathway to Homes into the South Carolina Department of Corrections, and we started working with this young lady. Um, we did an assessment, we started working with the re-entry director, and we identified all the needs that this young lady would have coming out after 25 and a half years. So we were able to connect her with mental health, with um alcohol and drug, with Volk Rehab, um, with the education component, the housing component, what we realized she did have her mother that was still alive. So she was going home. Um, we did everything that we knew that this young lady would need prior to getting out. Um, she had Department of Corrections was great. She had her picture ID from DMV. Really? Yes. So they're doing that. They're doing great. I have to give it to um Deputy Jake Gatson and his staff up there. But she had her picture ID. She had her social security card. When she came out? When she came out. It's called Pathway to Homes. That's one of our.

SPEAKER_01 31:46

Yeah, and then you don't have transportation and six-week process. Right. It's terrible. And then imagine it being on New Year's Eve and you just stuck.

SPEAKER_06 31:55

Yeah, so it it made us happy. So when she came out, it was a seamless process. The only services that we had to make sure we connected before January 1st was get her sign up for the Affordable Care Act, which is health care. Because you cannot sign up for that while you're still incarcerated, and you cannot sign up for food stamps while you're still incarcerated. That's a good point. But everything else was already in place. It was a seamless process. Everybody knew this young lady was coming home, they were gonna be closed, second chance was gonna be open, her probation officer knew she was coming home. So the probation officer made herself available. So when she got to Charleston, she went and saw the probation officer, and then she came the second chance.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 32:48

It was, and I'm telling you, the Pathway to Home program is great. Um, we're we're doing it more and more now. This young lady was also featured on Channel 5 at our um annual Resource and Health Fair because she is so successful. Google has also picked her up because we got a grant from Google and she's being featured. Yeah, she's being featured of the progress that she has done. So guess what? She still lives with mom. Um she is a supervisor on her job.

SPEAKER_02 33:22

Nice.

SPEAKER_06 33:23

She is an owner of a brand new car. Because remember, December 31st is gonna be two years.

SPEAKER_02 33:30

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_06 33:31

Okay. That's a lot. Oh, yeah. She has not one but two bank accounts. What? Um, and looking at taking some classes, home ownership classes, to be a homeowner in 2024.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

Oh what? After being incarcerated for 25 and 25 and a half years.

SPEAKER_02 33:48

Hard pause and like having to start everything up from scratch in two years is absolutely amazing.

SPEAKER_06 33:55

She put in all the work. I tell people we we led the guide, we we gave her the resources, we pointed out the resources, we were that liaison, but I give it all to her because she was determined and she had support. So that's what we need from the communities, that's what we need from the legislators. That's what we need for people to know that if we're going to restore people, you gotta have the resources.

SPEAKER_00 34:25

Yeah, uh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's kind of it's already bad.

SPEAKER_02 34:29

I have so because of your experience and because of being able to like see in the work that you do, like all of these gaps that need to be filled in. You're just kind of coming in and helping them see, and I guess kind of arranging this, like, you know, advocating for what is needed. Is that that?

SPEAKER_06 34:46

Yeah, well, yes, because what happened when I came back home, I still had my house. I still had my um my foundation, my support was still solid because I had visitors, my family and friends and sorority sisters, I had a visit every weekend down in Florida. So I had that, but when I came home, what I didn't have was a buy-in to get a job.

SPEAKER_03 35:12

Right, right.

SPEAKER_06 35:12

Um, so that's why it was so hard. So I look at it and say, if I struggled on that end, what happens to individuals that do not have the support or the education or the or the professional or work experience? So I took that along with my um case management experience and I burst second chance. So I know where where the holes are. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:36

I I I'm gonna tie this in what you how you how you how we started the the dialogue and the discussion conversation. The fact that you said like when you went in, after you got over your anger, you realized you were put in that position for a reason. If you, if you weren't in that position um and and saw what was going on, you wouldn't have been able to be a light to these other folk. Because, like you said, I hate to say it, it takes a particular type of person to be able to then be a resource to folk after something like that. You had to have the strength, you had to have the um the determination, tenacity, but you ought to have also had to have the education and the professional experience. We usually don't get professionals like you in those positions that come out and say, you know what, I'm gonna go make it better, I'm gonna make it easier on the next person that comes out. Because normally what would you do? You'd go home, have your joy, a little enjoy your life, forget about it, move past.

SPEAKER_06 36:26

And and I can tell you, that's what's happening to the ladies, the judges, the lawyers, the open heart surgeons, the vice presidents of some of these universities that was in there, they have moved on, they have put it as a path and they have moved on. But someone has to stand up and be a voice. So I am that lived experience. So that's why when individuals come in and they see me and they I took all my degrees and certifications off my off my office walls. And so when they come in, I take my suits off, and when they come in and they start talking, they can't say, What do you know? Because you got all of this. So I don't tell them because they when they come in, they don't see any of that stuff on my office anymore. I let them talk, and then they say, Why? Why are you in it?

SPEAKER_00 37:13

Yeah, why are you so invested?

SPEAKER_06 37:15

Yes, and so then I begin to tell my story. Yeah, because here again, as I started off, what do a justice-involved individual look like?

SPEAKER_00 37:23

Doesn't have a face, doesn't have a face.

SPEAKER_06 37:25

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 37:26

You're a blessing to the community. Good gracious. Um, all right, I I do have two more questions for you before we wrap up. And I know we've been touching on this anyway, um, just speaking about the system. Um, but could you explain just give us a little touch on this? How do you some ways in which you feel that the criminal justice system uh fails our society in the sense of um either through the sentencing or how it's um applied to people based on their actions? Do you think that we are over penalizing people and we're over-incarcerating folks? Is that an issue that you think that we're seeing, or is it doing its job properly? We just have a horrible um back end of taking care of folks as they're coming out of the system.

SPEAKER_06 38:14

It's it's all the above that you said. Um we're over-sentencing. Um, we're not providing the justice-involved individual, like they like to say, returning citizens with the resources that they could really provide inside to help. Um and it's it's just a lot. And I and I've seen the difference in color, uh, male, female. Um it's it's it's it's all the above. We we really need to have a look at the criminal justice reform system as a whole to see what we can do better. But I can tell you, they're still on that thing looking at third-grade education and looking at building more prisons. We need more transitional houses, we need more educational programs, we need more workforce programs and transportation.

SPEAKER_02 39:15

That's real, especially in a rural state like this. Like you get outside the city and you just by yourself.

SPEAKER_00 39:21

Yeah. Yeah. There's no access to um economics. Yes.

SPEAKER_06 39:24

And that leads to now, like, yeah, I'm gonna tell you this right quick. We just got a grant um for just as involved individuals working with opiants and fentanyl. Now we now now we got something else on top of all these things that you just talked about.

SPEAKER_04 39:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 39:41

So I'm telling you, it's massive. We really need to get on it. Um, just check us out. We we're we're serious about what we're doing, we're committed to what we're doing. We have a great staff, we have great community partners. Um, and we also have those partners that didn't want to give me that second chance almost 13 years ago. So they need to they're they're back at the table. And I'm grateful and I'm humbled by that because it speaks that I was able to convert and let them know everybody deserves a second chance if they got a date and they're coming back home.

SPEAKER_00 40:18

Yeah, you turn the non-believers into believers. You're like a prophet out here. I ain't gonna lie. You don't get to hear people talk like this.

SPEAKER_02 40:24

If folks out there like what they hear, yeah, taking donations, like people support your work.

SPEAKER_06 40:30

Yes, we we we're definitely. They can visit our website um and they they can do donations. We we're looking for houses. We got a male house, we need a female house.

SPEAKER_00 40:40

Well, speaking of which, we're horrible with this. We like shameless plugs. When you say that, go ahead, give me your information. Let them know, like if you said a website, tell them what the website is. We want them to know.

SPEAKER_06 40:47

The website is www.ascresource.org. You can be re we can be reached at 843-926-2808. Our address is 3255 Landmark Drive Suite 301. That's North Charleston, South Carolina. And just like I said, if you visit our website, you will see all three of our locations. Perfect. And don't forget, we have a Phoenix Transitional House that can house up to 12 males. Um, and it's it's doing what it's due. And they pay nothing to stay at this house. So please, if you're out there, you're compassionate about helping just as involved individuals and their families, donate, donate, donate. This week we're actually at the Coast of Carolina Fair. This is our second year being there. We are at the Freedom Hall Um Building. We are at Booth 47 and 50. All of our proceeds go to our Youth Hope Initiative. These are young men and women that uh that are getting out of the Department of Juvenile Justice System. So we serve the whole family. We go from zero to death.

SPEAKER_00 42:00

Man, I'm not gonna lie. You made my day. You made my day. That's positive. Because normally when you speak on um issues like this, it can be a little bit depressing. I'm telling you, I was not depressed at all. Okay. Um, I was very much, yeah, um, excited. Um, you got me all reared up. You got me thinking about it in a different way as well. Um, and I know from looking at what you do have available and et cetera, I'm telling you, um, people who listen to our show, if you know anybody that is a justice-involved individual that needs assistance, or um, if you are wondering or have questions about things in your area specifically, and if you're in the low country area, these are gonna be some resources that you're gonna want to put those people in contact with um so that they can get some of that help and advocacy that they're gonna need moving forward.

SPEAKER_06 42:46

Um, but I must say And one thing I must say, even if you are not in the South Carolina area, you're hearing this, you can call us because we started out as a well-based porter in 2013. So we actually have clients in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida. Okay, because we started as a well-based porter. Once you have the resources, once you have the resources, yeah, all states have some of the same resources.

SPEAKER_02 43:12

And I'm sure there's people in other states that are trying to get this kind of thing going. So, like, yeah, let's get some community crosstalking stuff.

SPEAKER_06 43:20

Yes, yes. And we do have a big gun violence prevention component.

SPEAKER_00 43:25

Yeah, speak on that folks. I know right now in the state's outcome, oh my lord, especially with the youth.

SPEAKER_06 43:29

Yes, um, Second Chance Resource was one of the 13 nonprofits back in December that got $100,000 from the city of North Charleston. Chief Reggie Burgess was the chief, um, and he saw the need to embrace and help nonprofit organizations. So Second Chance Resource Center was one of those nonprofits. We have partnered with Positive Vive, Roger Nave Smith, Inc., that's executive director Ronald Smith. He lost his daughter to gun violence two years ago. She was 14. So we are doing the holistic approach. We're killing it with gun violence. We got all kinds of stuff. We got a 1-800 hotline number that will be coming out on November 5th through positive vibes. Gun violence is a real issue. We got to get these guns off the street. We got to get the guns out of the hands of our youth, our next generation.

SPEAKER_00 44:23

I agree. I definitely agree. We've got to have ways for them to deal with conflict outside of using guns. Um, and I'm gonna say, man, I I greatly appreciate you being with us. Well, I thank you for having us. Yes, is there anything else you'd like to say before we wrap up?

SPEAKER_06 44:36

I just want people to understand that everyone deserves a second chance. If they got a date coming out, we need to embrace that. We do, we still do work with individuals that have long, long sentences. We send them emails if they're on the federal side. We do core link, we connect with them. We go to court, we support the families. We have family support groups, um, weekly, different types of groups, parenting, all that stuff. Just know it's holistic. If you think of anything is holistic, second chance can connect the dots. Building family, strengthening lives.

SPEAKER_00 45:12

Awesome, awesome, man. I'm gonna say um DJ and what? Mike Skip, who's over in the other room right now, and our esteemed guest, Miss Patsy Gardner. We appreciate having you on our podcast today. We're gonna make sure that we do get this Clarion call out and spread this news as far and as wide as we possibly can on our platform. Um anything that you have or you're doing in the future, any updating, um up, you know, upcoming events. If you have something that you need to get to work, please let us know.

SPEAKER_06 45:42

Just know in January, we will be starting our own channel, TV channel. Oh. And it will be a second chance resource center. And the theme will always be You Matters. Um, it will be on Pearl TV, it will be on on demand. If they got smart TVs, they'll be able to pick us up. Um that's starting the third Wednesday in January. What?

SPEAKER_00 46:03

Third Wednesday in January. So we're gonna have to return and follow up our conversation. What are you gonna do? You may have to sit and talk to Mike before they leave. Because yeah, that's that's who you needed to speak to about this. But um I'm gonna I'm gonna wrap this up because I don't want to hold too much of your time. And plus, if we could if we're gonna time y'all, we may be able to go see the fair. So um uh uh the Hilltop Club podcast, we want to thank everybody for being here today. Uh, we want to um also ask our audience if you have somebody next to you or if you don't, go tall to your neighbor, man. Tell somebody that you love them, that you appreciate um them being around you and being positive influence on your life. If you do have that around you, it's always good to let those people know that they are um are that you appreciate them. And um, today I just want to let Miss Gardner know I appreciate her for coming on today and sharing this information. Um, other than Appreciate Link Studios for hosting us. We gotta say that. Yo, shout us out to Holiday X, Mr. Adams, uh, one of our esteemed um sponsors and um our promoters of whatever we do, he always is looking out for us. Um I want to thank Link Link Studios uh here. Um, matter of fact, I'll I will make sure that we throw that in because you will see it. If you if you listen to our podcast, if you ever listen before, you know you are gonna get a drop. Um there will be a nice little drop of advertisement for Link Studios out there, but uh, we want to thank him today because we are recording in his studios today. We're in the podcast room. They do have this available if you do want to come in and use it for content creation. Um, but signing off for the Hilltop Glove Podcast, um, this is DJ and what? Like skipped in the room. And of course, this is Patsy Gardner. We want to thank you so much. Everybody have a blessed one. We'll see you next time. Peace.