The "Daddy Daughter Dance" had parents talking and children laughing.  

Many daughters were dressed so elegantly with their hair done up special.  What pride the fathers showed in their families!  One father confided that he was so blessed to spend this quality time with his three daughters this way.  They had all looked forward with such joy for this night and then had a blast being around each other in this setting.

Well done, Stepping Stones to Success, for providing a fun evening to help families be families again!  See you next time!

​Stepping Stones to Success’ 
2024 Daddy & Daughter Dance 
Saturday, June 15th, 5-9 PM
Rancho Cordova City Hall - 
2729 Prospect Park Dr. 95670.
Spoil your daughter and build memories for a lifetime
Theme: Tennis Shoes & Pearls
Tickets are only $50 per couple (Food Included) 
(Additional daughters are $10 each)

Buy tickets via
(Please put in comments Father & Daughter Dance)
CashApp: $SSTS2019
Venmo: leandrea jones-bell@leandrea-jones-bell
Zelle: Stepping Stones To Success 916-430-3765
Or payment at the door


steppingstonescampus.com     916 912 6723

What a pleasure to see our first participants successfully complete the program and transition on with their lives and careers.  

Not everyone makes it while in transition, but thanks to their hard work and dedication, and our diligent staff support, our did make it and are thriving.  Well done all who are involved!

Sometimes we, at Stepping Stones to Success find others that "Get it" when it comes to helping others "Get it".  Reuben Miller is one of those people.  In his TED talk, we find clarity and answers about the harsh reality of freedom that is not so free for many that are on parole in the USA.  It is well worth a viewing - click the next link to see this 18 minute presentation. 
​HOW RADICAL HOSPITALITY CAN CHANGE THE LIVES OF THE FORMERLY INCARCERATED 

I had a strange moment. I guess I've had many strange moments, but this one was a bit scary. My transitional home is beautiful, the people are friendly, and everyone around me-including parole-has been helpful. But, I've been home alone a lot. I started to get lonely. Real lonely. I'm in a strange city, I'm not working, I don't have transportation, and I don't have any where to go. I began to miss prison.

I didn't want to tell anyone because I was embarassed, and I was worried about being punished. In prison, your encouraged to express your thoughts and then your punished for doing just that. For example, if your feeling suicidal you should tell someone right. The reasonable response would be to interview the person and then to determine the seriousness of the "feeling". In reality, by making your feeling known, serious or not, you are also making someone write a report and that means they have to stay late. Your brow beat, if not chastised. Your stripped butt naked, usually in the cold, and stuck in a filthy holding tank with no mattress or clothes-well, you get to keep a heavy smock. If your real lucky, you are in a room with a toilet instead of a hole in the floor. Every inmate knows that prison rewards bad behavior and punishes good behavior (a bold statement that I promise to elaborate on, but I'm digressing).

I was feeling an overwhelming sense of depression. I typed into Google and Quora questions like, "why do I miss prison," "am I crazy for missing prison," "what does it mean when an inmate misses prison." The first thing I realized is that I was not alone. I saw some really good answers that explained my anxiety and my depression. I couldn't believe how normal it was to feel that way. In fact, I didn't quite believe what I was reading, but it did give me the courage to start talking to some of the men I live with. Each of them told me about going through the same thing. 

I have not gotten through my little slump. But, I am very aware of the good fortune and support in my life right now. I am a recovering meth addict. My pattern of behavior has been depression, despair, apathy, needle! I have been clean a really long time, but life and freedom are new to me. Learning to handle problems out here requires a new set of cognitive tools. It's not easy, and I'm not sure I could have done it on my own. It is really comforting knowing that I have people I can talk to. It is also a tremendous help that my basic needs are taken care of: if I had to worry about survival and safety on top of these other stressful thoughts, I think I would be overwhelmed and I'd probably start using. It's obvious to me now why the inmates who don't accept the help are quick to recidivate. 

I miss prison, because I spent more than 40% of my life locked up. Its familiar to me. Everything out here is unfamiliar. Its exciting one moment and stressful the next. 
​RS

I've never written a blog. I've never seen a smart phone. I've never used social media. I knew I was missing out on a lot, but I had no idea just how many things would be foreign to me after serving fifteen years in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

In prison we want what we don't have--everything. I've seen inmates go crazy over a green rag because it was the only one on the yard. Eventually there are two green rags then three and so on. Now everybody wants the first yellow rag. It seems ridiculous to you because you've never lived in a world of greys and blues. Everyone wears the same clothes: grey shorts or blue pants, grey sweat shirt or a white t-shirt, grey hat or white hat. Even the walls are grey concrete or white "ish". All day every day the same three or four colors.

Now that I am out of prison, I am overwhelmed by all the choices. It's funny because I heard it can be stressful, but I didn't think it would be that way to me. How could a guy be overwhelmed by the choices of cereal. Just pick the one you missed the most right. Now that I am staring at them, I realize I didn't even know half of them existed. Prison conditions inmates to be mindful of other peoples personal space, yet in the grocery store that lady is the third person to bump into me in the past five minutes. How can I choose a cereal with all these people moving around me. Why does the clerk on the PA sound like he's saying, "get down". Am I sweating, my glasses are fogging up. God I'm making a fool of my self, I feel like everyone is staring at me. You know, I don't need cereal.

Everything is new and every new thing is a lot more complicated than I imagined it would be. People tell me I'm doing great-- I don't feel that way. Inside, I am often frazzled, anxious, and afraid. I'm getting more comfortable each day, but I imagine some effects are permanent.   And that is one of the many reasons why Stepping Stones to Success is here - to help all of those, like me, who need to be able to navigate this new-to-us world.
         --RS--    

Getting the story for Stepping Stones to Success out there is of utmost importance to us.  There has been (and is) such a tremendous amount of erroneous data and misleading statements about those in transition that we long to see replaced with simple truths about the men, their lives, and what we are doing to help.  Below is one short interview.  Enjoy.

Being a victim of any serious crime is excruciatingly hard on the victim and families.  The evidence of this can be seen in this interview by a woman that had a husband commit years of harmful criminal acts against their family.
https://amplifiedvoices.buzzsprout.com/1213727/4805606-jean 

After you listen to her story unfold, we think you will come away from it with a new view of all the people affected by this crime.

Stepping Stones to Success works with not just those in re-entry that have committed the crimes, but also with their families.  Contact us today if you need help in these areas.  While we cannot help in all situations, chances are we know someone that can help you if we are unable to.

Its a hard reality when you find yourself up agents' a brick wall. its like the 602 prosses inside, you file and get a partially granted only they never tell you what was granted and if you write and ask they say the issue has been resolved and your back where you started. I recently found myself in this place again,

I'm needing 3000 hours of work experience in order to graduate and get my A.O.D. certification and the place I work as a night monitor the hours don't count. I need the office hours doing intakes and one on ones, running groups and such but the approval to work with CDCR clients is dragging its feet. I know it should not take that long to clear me so I'm like stupid mad  no one wants to make the decision. Just make it and I'll know to move on or stay.

​I decided to write this to you so you know when you hit your brick wall there is someone here who understands your struggle. It can be so frustrating you want to pull out you hair, but we can't the struggle we face coming back from our long time out is one we made and only we can finish is. I'll keep my head up push on and I know in the end it will all be worth it. Good luck to you and remember we can do this without going back in!                                                     ExOffender