Kim Spotts

What is your relation to RISE? How did you get to this point?

So, I was incarcerated in York, and they came up and offered the program there. I thought it would be an interesting program to do. I signed up, and that’s how it started. My relationship to RISE now is that they’re my family. I call Jason for anything. When I first got out—I’ve been out approximately eight weeks— all of RISE have been my lifeline. Definitely Jason.

I went for an interview when I first got out. I’m not from the Omaha area, but I came here to get a new start. I think there are a lot of opportunities for people who have felonies here. I left with plenty of time to be early for the interview and make a good impression. Where I’m from, there’s not a bus system. I got off the first bus, and I asked the driver how to get on my connecting bus. I didn’t know my directions, so I was standing on the wrong side of the street and I missed it. The guy’s standing there and he says “there will be one in a half hour.” I didn’t know my directions, so I wait for the next bus, and that bus stops and the driver got off to have his cigarette. At that point, I’ve already called Jason and he told me to stay on the bus. He goes, “I’ll call them and tell them you’re going to be a few minutes late.” He keeps me calm.

Two days after I got out, I came here. They had a little gift bag for me with a brush and body soap and shampoo and stuff, the kind of stuff that makes you feel welcomed home. They’re my family. Because I don’t have a lot of family left. I lost my mom last year when I was incarcerated, and my husband is still incarcerated. 

Anyway, I got a job. They helped me with a bus pass, and I’ve gotten in the door with some jobs with a gentleman who volunteers with RISE. We went to get me my ID, and I had to get my marriage license, so we had to go through all these hoops, and I had to pay my reinstatement fee, and then pay it online, call, have things verified, and everything. RISE paid my reinstatment fee and for my driver’s license so I could start working. 

Since I’m the first one to get out of York, men don’t have to deal with that name change thing, they don’t have to have their marriage license, they don’t have to jump through all the hoops. So the people at RISE, they’re learning from me as a woman so they can help others through the process when they get out of prison. I’m kind of the guinea pig. It’s been interesting for all of us.

It helps us transform so we don’t go back into our old ways. It gives us a second chance. I took a lot of classes while I was there, I took over 35 classes in four years, I did the Prison Fellowship Academy, and RISE, because I wanted to walk out of prison a different person.

How has the graduate program served you so far?

They’ve helped me with everything, like I said. They have their alumni association meetings, and it’s a small gathering. Some people came from the work release center, with pizza and wings and stuff, we talk about how we’re doing and take pictures and they share them with the ladies in York. That’s the thing with the people here, you can tell they genuinely care about you and they want to see you succeed. They’re not doing it because they have to or because it’s for a paycheck; they’re doing it because they really want to see you succeed in life. It’s almost like someone’s in your back pocket. They’re pushing you along. When Jason got to see his kids here a while back, I was so excited for him. That’s exciting to be a part of his moments, too. Not only are they a part of my moments, the ups and the downs, I get to be a part of their moments, too. It’s great.

Why is RISE important for the community?

It helps us transform so we don’t go back into our old ways. It gives us a second chance. I took a lot of classes while I was there, I took over 35 classes in four years, I did the Prison Fellowship Academy, and RISE, because I wanted to walk out of prison a different person. I didn’t want to risk going back there. I think, with that said, it’s making an impact on the community by making sure that if we use the tools it gives us, that we don’t have to go back to prison. Not only does it give us tools, it gives us people. 

Some days, I can go out into the world and I think ‘I’ve got this,’ but some days, the struggle is real, and I need to call someone, and I’ve gotta cry. Some days I walk in here and Keet knows the first thing I need is a hug. In prison, you can’t hug people, you’re not supposed to touch people. My whole life, I’ve been a hugger, so I’m making up for lost time. Having that family, I can’t say it enough. They give to the community, people who were once broken, who are now mended. They’re giving back mended people who are able to be productive. That’s a good way to put it.

What goals do you have for your future? 

I just registered for college. I’m going to go back there, I already have an Associate’s degree, but I’m going to get another one. You can’t have too much learning. Just to have a career that I enjoy, to give back to the community, to actually give back to the prison and give back to RISE. I want to volunteer with them, with RISE, at the prison, to tell my story, to know that you have an impact on future generations of incarcerated people— or not incarcerated.

I want to give back to the community. With my crimes, I know I had a negative impact on society, and now, I want to have a positive impact. 

What do you enjoy doing? What are you planning to do with your studies?

I was going to go into floriculture, the arranging of flowers, but my first Associate’s degree is in electronic technology. Right now, I’m registered for prototype design, like robotics, but I might change it to floriculture. My friend got some flowers for Valentine’s Day, and I helped her arrange them. Not that I wouldn’t be happy in electronics, but I like that living, breathing thing.

If I want the easier, softer way I can go back to prison. I choose to stay in the struggle, because once the struggle is done, life is going to be worth it! Lack of faith is fear, so I have nothing to fear because I have faith.

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