Kevin Rebuilt His Life. Now He’s Uplifting Hundreds

Starting over represents more than just a fresh beginning. It’s resilience, transformation, purpose, and the power of community care. After losing everything, Kevin needed someone to believe in him – and through Wider Circle’s consistent support, he found the strength to not just rebuild his own life, but to transform his entire community.

In this edition of Stories from the Circle, meet Kevin – whose journey from rock bottom to community champion shows what becomes possible when someone shows up for you, again and again.

Kevin D.

From Second Chances to Creating Chances: Kevin’s Story of Transformation

After losing everything, Kevin found community, lost 100 pounds, and uses his second chance to help others rebuild.

Three years ago, Kevin came home from incarceration to face an overwhelming reality. He and his wife once owned seven thriving businesses in Louisiana, but now they were starting over from nothing. With an autistic son to support and diabetes to manage, Kevin needed help.

Celina Jolivette, a Wider Circle Community Engagement Specialist, reached out and connected Kevin’s family to weekly food resources through Second Harvest. Every Thursday, Kevin and his wife pick up nutritious food like beans, dried fruits, raisins, pitted plums, freeing up nearly a third of their household income. “The food that’s given, it’s nutritious stuff, it’s not junk food,” Kevin explained. 

Kevin became a regular at Wider Circle events, where members shared health tips and stories. What kept him coming back was finding people who understood. “There’s a lot of people in your situation, so you don’t feel alone,” he said. Wider Circle’s support extended beyond food. When Kevin’s wife needed heart valve replacement surgery and couldn’t drive for 45 days, Wider Circle helped arrange transportation provided by her healthcare for her post-surgery checkups.

The impact on Kevin’s health became undeniable. With access to nutritious food and preventative healthcare, Kevin lost over 100 pounds – dropping from 315 to 207 pounds. Kevin’s new diet and lifestyle changes has his diabeties is under control, and he has developed habits of monitors his blood sugar regularly and maintaining checkups to keep it stable. 

As Kevin rebuilt his own life, he saw others facing similar barriers. He and his wife started the Justice Reform Initiative, a nonprofit helping people clear their records to access jobs, housing, and education. When Celina saw their work advertised on television, she immediately called to partner.

At that first clinic, Wider Circle set up a table, fed volunteers, and connected attendees to healthcare resources. The response was overwhelming, 144 people showed up, more than double what they’d prepared for. Since then, they’ve completed over 250 expungement motions. “He’s trying to help others be better people,” Celina said.

Today, Kevin and his wife are entrepreneurs again – running a snowball stand while dedicating more than half their time to the nonprofit. Kevin remains a regular at Wider Circle events, and he and his wife still attend the weekly food distributions. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” Kevin said, but now he’s helping others find their way too.

“Kevin is using a negative personal experience to help others secure second chances,” Aretha Veal, a Wider Circle Area Manager, reflected. “That takes real compassion.”

Thanks to consistent community support, Kevin isn’t just surviving- he’s transforming his community, one person at a time.

Thank you, Kevin, for sharing your journey and showing us the ripple effect of compassion. And thank you to our sponsors for investing in the community care that makes these transformations possible.