So many of our young clients do everything they can to put the justice system behind them, but are met with roadblock after roadblock. That was certainly the case for “Kendrick,” who we first met in 2017.  At the time, he was 15 and had just been sentenced to two years in juvenile prison for a robbery. During monthly visits with his LCCR youth advocate, Jarrett, Kendrick liked to sketch portraits and talk about his favorite Marvel movies. But he also confided in Jarrett about his emotional struggles, which prison only exacerbated.

When Kendrick was finally released, his reentry was rocky. He struggled in class after having missed half the school year, and lashed out at his teachers because of it. Rather than helping him work through his emotional issues, the school expelled him. He was then placed into an alternative school, which he hated. This left him primed to spiral downward… and possibly back into prison.

But that’s where Jarrett, in his role as a mentor, really came into play. He talked with Kendrick. He helped him see how toughing it out at his alternative school was a means to an end, and that he could switch schools when his time there was complete.

Kendrick hunkered down and finished out the school year strong. Jarrett helped him find a summer job, enroll in a new school, and connect with supportive services for the fall. Almost three months into the new school year, Kendrick is doing amazingly well. He didn’t give up on himself. And neither did we.

Jarrett continues to check in on Kendrick regularly. He notes that Kendrick is “truly exercising self-discipline and persistence. Things are looking promising for his future.”

Your support makes the success of Kendrick and kids like him possible. Thank you!