by Amanda Cassidy-Trejo, Reentry Advocacy Fellow This past year has been a period of a lot of growth for me both professionally and personally. I was able to participate in many opportunities that will help shape my future and add new dreams to my career goals that I did not know existed before. In the […]
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By Amanda Cassidy-Trejo, Reentry Advocacy Fellow Growing up as the daughter of 2 Army Medics I always knew that there was a possibility that one or both of my parents would be called up to serve in a wartime mission. If I am being honest I always thought it would be my dad. He had […]
Read MoreWritten by Amanda Cassidy-Trejo, Reentry Advocacy Fellow I can still recall the smell of the pod I was housed in the last time I used. I don’t remember the actual date I stopped using because time is irrelevant when incarcerated. So I chose the date that I had tattooed on me from the first time […]
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I got to drive my son to school for his first day of his sophomore year of high school. I got to be one of those moms that posts first day of school pictures. I got to be one of many that woke their kid up, made sure they brushed their teeth, made their bed […]
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Written by Amanda Cassidy, Reentry Advocacy Fellow For a lot of little girls their dad is the first man they fall in love with. The first man who shows them what love looks like. Sometimes life can make this experience trying for some fathers and daughters. The story of me and my dad isn’t abnormal […]
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Hiring Initiative for Reentry Empowerment will take place Saturday August 20, 2022: 9am – 5pm at Impact Hub Austin – North Loop (5540 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78756) and Wednesday August 24, 2022: 9am – 5pm at Impact Hub Austin – Bouldin Creek (411 W Monroe St, Austin, TX 78704). HIRE is hosted by […]
Read MoreBy Amanda Cassidy, Reentry Advocacy Fellow When I was arrested the last time after spending months in deplorable conditions and coming to grips with the reality around me, I was utterly lost. I made a decision to change the course of my journey. I spent my free time thinking and dreaming about how exactly my […]
Read MoreWritten by Amanda Cassidy, Reentry Advocacy Fellow ”One thing a peer does is infuse hope” – ReEntry Peer Support Training One of the many goals I had when I returned home in July of 2019 was to find a way to use all that I had experienced, the good the bad and the ugly, to […]
Read MoreThe Austin/Travis Reentry Roundtable is embarking on the process of developing our strategic plan for the next five years. We would love to engage as many stakeholders from the reentry ecosystem as possible, and are hosting three sessions this summer that are open to the public (RSVP required). Strategic Planning Sessions (June – August) The […]
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Written by Amanda Cassidy, Reentry Advocacy Fellow When I was released in July of 2019, I was paroled to the Texas Reach Out Ministry homes. I was welcomed by a beautiful woman with a big smile and a warm hug. She was the first person to make me feel comfortable and supported during my reentry […]
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