Michael Rice: Getting A Second Chance
Growing up, Michael Rice maintained a grade point average of 3.5 and won dozens of trophies and medals in karate competitions. He planned to join the army one day. But harsh realities interrupted Rice’s plans. His stepfather, who began abusing him at age three, ended up in jail by the time Rice was 14. "When he went to prison, I had to be the man of the house."

At that young age, Rice began dealing marijuana to bring in some money for himself, his mother, and his younger sister. Things went downhill from there. During the next decade of his life, Rice earned money dealing crystal meth and running an escort service. He used drugs heavily himself, got into gangs, and was shot and stabbed. He fathered two children, and was in and out of jail more times than he can count.

"I had plans to join the military and go to college, but I was stuck in that fast lifestyle," says Rice, looking back. "Because of the environment I was in, the plans I wanted for myself could never happen."

At 25, Rice was again sent to jail for the possession and sale of crystal meth and being armed with a handgun. Just before he was released on parole, Rice attended a presentation by an outreach advocate from Second Chance/STRIVE, a San Diego organization dedicated to helping people recover from homelessness, unemployment, addiction, and gang involvement.

The program offers substance-free temporary housing, permanent housing placement, job readiness training, career clothing, job placement, mental health counseling, and two years of comprehensive follow-up care.

Rice knew this was an opportunity to break out of his destructive cycle. Even though he had been released from jail, he asked his parole officer if he could go back and finish his time in order to try Second Chance. "When I was in jail I was doing a lot of life evaluating," says Rice. "I was tired of going in and out of jail, tired of not being in my daughters’ lives." Through Second Chance, Rice attended job readiness classes and stayed in a sober living house for three and a half months. "Second Chance taught me discipline and patience," says Rice. "There’s more to life than the fast life. It doesn’t hurt to be a law-abiding citizen." Within a week after completing the program, Second Chance helped Michael land his first job in concessions at Petco Park.

Soon after, he was offered a job as a trainer at Second Chance. The program’s executive director and founder, Scott Silverman, says that Rice’s life experiences and high level of integrity make him an excellent trainer. "I love being a trainer," says Rice, who shows up early most days. "I’ve seen so many walks of life, I can relate to a lot of the people. It’s a wonderful gift."

Rice believes that Second Chance is effective because it offers a strong support system. "If I’m having hard times, if I need to talk to anybody, I can just come here." Silverman also attributes the program’s success to its strong community environment and comprehensive follow-up care. "We teach people that it’s important to develop relationships quickly and in a positive way," he explains. "My team exudes that and practices that with each other and in their own lives with their families. We become that family for people when they first get out of wherever they’ve been. One of the things you feel when you’re there is that we care about you and it’s okay for you to care about yourself."

Silverman sees an embodiment of that model in Rice. "He’s got a really strong feeling about giving back. He has taken significant time and commitment in turning his own life around, and he understands that in order to keep it, he has to give it away."

Rice, now 28, has reconnected with his two daughters, helped his mother go through Second Chance, and is expecting a baby Christmas day with his fiancée, Patecia, whom he met in the program. "We laugh together. We’re both steadily working. She’s a good woman," says Rice. "I’m happy with my life now. I take care of her, and she takes care of me." Rice hopes to buy a house by the time he is 30, and hopes to find the time to get back into karate. "I love martial arts," he says, "it’s a passion, and I was really good at it."

Second Chance/STRIVE has helped over 1,000 people find employment after incarceration, homelessness, or substance abuse. This month on October 21, the organization will graduate its 100th class.
— JJ Hall, photography by Vincent Knakal

Year Founded: 1993

Current Director: Scott H. Silverman, executive director/founder

Overall Mission: Creating opportunities for self-sufficiency by providing job readiness training, employment placement, affordable housing, and life skills for homeless and unemployed men, women, and youth.

Donation Administration Cost Ratio: 86-89 percent of every dollar goes toward programs depending on the year, leaving 11-14 percent for administration.

Current Funding Objectives: Achieve funding budget for 2006 of $2.5 million.

Organization’s Biggest Challenges: Building community awareness toward getting graduates employed.

Contact Information: Jo-Ann Jaffe 619/234-8888, ext. 15, jjaffe@secondchanceprogram.org


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Think Pink
In honor of breast cancer awareness month, a number of local retailers are offering pink items to help raise money for various breast cancer charities and research foundations.

White House/Black Market adds a splash of color to their signature palette in offering the pink Hope Umbrella and Hope Key Ring. One-hundred percent of proceeds will benefit Living Beyond Breast Cancer, an organization dedicated to empowering women affected by breast cancer to live as long as possible with the best quality of life. (www.whitehouseblackmarket.com)

Bed Bath & Beyond offers the new Rowenta pink iron, and 100 percent of the profits raised will be donated to the Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation. (www.bedbathandbeyond.com)

Bloomingdales is offering a pink Bialetti cappuccino maker, from which a portion of the proceeds will be donated to breast cancer research. The cappuccino maker will be available at Bloomingdales’ Fashion Valley location when it opens in November. Before then, it can be purchased by calling Bloomingdales directly. (800/232-1854, www.bloomingdales.com)

Keep A Breast and Adio Footwear have partnered on a new product line by Los Angeles artist Fawn Gehweiler. Items include a Keep A Breast T-shirt, tote bag, wallet, belt, and Apollo shoe in pale pink. A portion of proceeds benefit Keep A Breast’s youth breast cancer awareness programs. The line is available locally at Urban Boardshop in Poway and through the Keep A Breast Web site. (www.keep-a-breast.org)
— Mia Stefanko

A Reason To Survive
As a freshman in art school, starting a nonprofit and working with children were the last things on Matt D’Arrigo’s mind. Painting was his pursuit, but that year everything changed. D’Arrigo’s mother and sister were both diagnosed with cancer, prompting him to leave school to care for them. He moved back home and set up a painting studio in his bedroom. "I went in there every day to listen to music and paint — to escape," he recalls.

For D’Arrigo, art became a source of comfort and healing during this difficult time. "It was so powerful. I thought if it worked for me, it must work for others, too." An idea was born. "I thought, wouldn’t it be great to start an organization to bring free art programs to kids who are facing challenges in life?"

D’Arrigo traded in the paintbrush for a book on how to start a nonprofit. Now, his organization, ARTS (A Reason to Survive), is five years old, and has served over 12,000 children in San Diego. The children come from many different situations, including terminal illness, homelessness, and abuse.

So far, ARTS has been solely an outreach program, delivering creative experiences for children at various partner locations around the county, including Children’s Hospital, San Diego Hospice, Ronald McDonald House, and the YWCA. But this fall, D’Arrigo realizes a long-term goal with the opening of the Pat D’Arrigo ARTS Center, a permanent facility where kids can explore painting, sculpture, photography, animation, computer arts, dance, drama, writing, and music. "It’s a safe, nurturing environment for kids to come and explore the arts," says D’Arrigo. "It’s exciting to show them the possibilities."

The new ARTS Center is located at the NTC Promenade in Point Loma. An in-house gallery staffed by ARTS teenagers will have ARTS students work for sale.

Running a nonprofit doesn’t leave much time for painting these days. D’Arrigo says, "it’s a conscious trade-off. My creative need is fulfilled by developing this organization, by coming up with ideas and bringing them to fruition."

D’Arrigo’s experiences with the children have been rewarding and profound. "I truly believe this is my purpose in life. I went through that experience with my mom and my sister for a reason; I’m supposed to bring art to children who are facing adversity. In one sense we’re an arts organization, but we go beyond that and really care for these families. We use the artistic process to have major impact on these families’ lives." (619/297-ARTS, www.artsurvive.org) — JJ Hall, photo by Vincent Knakal
 
 


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