What's Happening at High Desert
Let me start by saying that I wanted High Desert to be offered our R.I.S.E. program because I feel this particular institution is so far away from everyone and everything that I thought they didn't have much in the way of programming. I was wrong.
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High Desert is one of the most northeastern prisons in California. Located in Susanville, many of us have to travel through Nevada and then cross back into California just to reach it.
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I had been there once before when I met with a notorious gang member whose uncle may or may not have been the original founder of the Crips.
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I mention all this as the ever-lending lesson of not making assumptions and not assuming all prison programming makes sense or is standardized. It truly is the wild west out here.
Who, What, Where?
Some stories begin with careful planning. Ours did not. Ours began with a Facebook post, a quiet call for help, and an unexpected spark that grew into something larger than all of us.
​It started when Richard Lopez’s wife shared a simple message online. She was looking for a program that could reach the young men in her husband's community and offer something real. I rarely respond to messages on Facebook. It is not where I search for opportunities or where I usually connect.
But this time, something struck me deep in my bones. It felt like a summons. So I reached out.
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From that single message, a chain reaction began.
Richard stepped forward with heart, strength, and vision. He carried a conviction that healing is possible and that guidance can become mentorship. He set the tone for what our work could grow into. Today his leadership stands at the center of a team that continues to expand and evolve.
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What began as a question online has now grown into a living force inside the Youth Diversion Program. We now stand with twelve dedicated facilitators, a group we proudly call the Driven Dozen, working hands-on with twenty-six young offenders. These young men are beginning the R.I.S.E. ten-part journey that launched in November 2025. We are at the very beginning of their transformation, and we look forward to sharing their growth as it unfolds.
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Let this moment serve as a clear message to our community and to society. The future of the next generation is our shared responsibility. It is on all of us to guide those who come after us and to show the ones we failed that trauma and pain can be transformed into triumph and power. Change is not accidental. Change is built when people choose to step in, step up, and believe in someone the world has dismissed.
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Some stories begin with a plan. Ours began with a post, a calling, and a spark.
The magic began there, and it continues to grow.
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