Success Stories
Kyle Warner writing in Marc’s class. Kyle has produced award winning art.
Award winning artist
Kyle Warner
Artist and writer
Kyle Warner was in Marc’s class for a number of years and has produced award winning art. When Marc told him about the moon bear rescue centre in Chengdu, China, Kyle was inspired by the way in which the bears recovered from severe physical and psychological trauma they experienced when they were part of the bear bile industry. He adopted moon bears, also known as asiatic black bears, as his spirit animal. This helped him in his own recovery when he was in the jail’s transition program. Kyle has served as a model for many other students in Marc's Roots & Shoots class.
Department of Transportation Road Manager
Student in Marc’s weekly Roots & Shoots Class
One day when Marc was cycling through Boulder, someone called out, “Hey Doctor Coyote!” and it turned out that this person had been in Marc’s Roots & Shoots class and was determined to never re-enter corrections facilities and had worked himself up to being a road manager for the Department of Transportation.
Producer and Designer at copy center
Student in Marc’s weekly Roots & Shoots Class
When Thomas was released from the Boulder County Jail after being incarcerated for many years in various other facilities, he got a job in a copy center. During his first year, he did excellent work and developed design and customer service skills. He became one of the most popular employees at this location.
Its all happening at the car wash
Students in Marc’s weekly Roots & Shoots Class
One of most user friendly places for former students to find work is a local car wash in Boulder. They routinely hire people who have been incarcerated. One success story centers on a man who became an assistant manager and who beamed each time Marc came to get his car washed. Luis always was proud to tell Marc how well he was doing and was thrilled that his son was also working at the car wash and attending a local community college. In addition to working side-by-side at the car wash, Luis also decided to take classes at the same college.
In some cases, names of the students have been changed to protect the identity of the students.