"It's not too late for someone!"
I used to feel like I was all alone. Like no one could understand or identify with me or what was going on in my head. Sitting in a room full of people, wearing a facade smile, wondering if they knew what was going on in my head. Would they even want me around?
It took me years, after coming to prison, to realize that I was wrong. I was not alone. Everybody has doubts and confusion. Millions of people feel insecure and lonely. I realized that my facade was transparent. That my actions were not out of anger, but fear. Fear of not being accepted, not being included. Not being loved or needed. These fears were unfounded, but they caused me to act out; to push people away and destroy relationships.
When I realized this, I understood also that there are people right now feeling the exact same way. They are broken and hurting and acting out in response. But they don’t even connect their feelings and actions. These feelings represent unmet needs and these destructive actions are strategies that we use to meet those needs. These harmful strategies perpetuate the cycle. We can stop it!
The backstory to Light Your Life....
I started Trifecta Ministries in order to “Help young people make better life choices” But, in prison my arms are short. I can’t reach people until they end up in prison with me; that is too late. So I searched for something that could be done to reach people before they ended up here. That’s when the idea for this scholarship came. With the help of my family, and a scholarship reward, I was able to obtain a college degree while in prison. What if someone had gotten me before though? Would I have ended up here? And can we get to someone else that might have made some bad choices like I did and help them change their destiny? Can we improve someone else’s station before they make the same bad choices I made? It’s not too late for someone!
You will be directed to the OCCF Donation Site. In the first block called "fund name" you must type in "Light Your Life Scholarship Initiative".
"Please give. This is restorative justice. This is preventative justice. This is community wellness."
We are seeking to raise $25,000 in order to award one scholarship per year in perpetuity. If we raise more, we can help more. We will offer a scholarship to be applied to a college or vocational school in the Lawton Oklahoma area. We want them to learn a skill that will make them ready for the workforce. It is my hope that you will partner with us, and these kids, by donating a tax-exempt sum of money. I am committing to a monthly donation of my earnings while incarcerated, more if and when I am released. The money you donate will go far beyond its monetary value by helping some young person to make better life choices, and improve their odds of success.
For clarity sake, not one penny of this money will be spent on anything but these students. I am personally gaining nothing from your donation. The OKC/Lawton Community Foundation will be overseeing the fund. They will collect and hold the money until the goal is reached, and then they will facilitate awarding the scholarship in an anonymous, unbiased way.