Seven participants in the Connections to Success program each took a sheet of white copy paper and attempted to make a paper airplane as directed.
“Don’t be laughing at me,” said Sada Brown as she looked around while folding her piece of paper.
“You might as well ball that thang up and throw it in the trash,” said Christopher Green.
“Whatever, that’s why mine’s gone fly past yours, while you talking all that crap,” Brown shot back.
The purpose of the assignment was simple — evaluate the mission, which is to fold the plane in such a way that it flies a certain distance, and come up with a strategy and tactics to accomplish that mission.
“I don’t want to hear nobody say they don’t know how to make a paper airplane after I told y’all to look at YouTube,” said Martinez Billingsley, the training facilitator teaching the 10-day class. “You’ll only get one throw.”
No one checked YouTube, and when they got outside to fly the planes, most of their planes went nowhere and nosedived straight to the ground.
It was a funny assignment designed to teach a core life lesson of the class — in order to succeed, one must be intentional about identifying personal goals and taking the necessary steps to achieve them.
The Connections to Success program is hosted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. It’s based in St. Louis, St. Charles, Columbia and Kansas City, as well as Kansas City, Kansas.
Every two weeks, 10 to 15 participants from all walks of life, including those re-entering society from prison, graduate from the program.
“This class is not only for those that are justice involved, this class is for anybody wanting a reset in life,” Billingsley said. “I’ve had a mother who hasn’t worked in 20 years. I had someone who had a corporate job but came here because they resigned from their position (and) wanted to get a reset. … This class is for anyone that’s committed to their development in life.”
The program, funded by hundreds of thousands of dollars from the U.S. Departments of Labor and Justice, engages participants with hands-on activities, as well as real employer interviews, help with resumes, assistance obtaining licenses and identification cards, lessons on interpersonal relationships and more.
Participants are usually referred to the organization. Transportation and professional attire for graduation from the program are also provided.
Dress for success
Brown, 39, of north St. Louis, was all smiles coming out of the dressing room.
She was trying on a few dresses and pant suits handpicked for her by volunteer Beth Ann Reichman.
Reichman searched through clothing racks overflowing with professional clothing for men and women at the Connections to Success office in St. Charles on July 14, four days before graduation.
“I worked in retail for almost 30 years, so I'm not letting anybody walk out of here that doesn't look good,” Reichman said.
Reichman’s eyes widened as Brown turned to show off a tan dress. And a few moments later, a dark pants suit.
“I can just look at people and tell what will look good on them,” Reichman said. “And she looks good!”
Changing the story
Brown is from Chicago but has lived in St. Louis for about 17 years.
She has six children and is currently going through a tough divorce, she said, in part because her husband didn’t want her to work.
“I don’t think he wanted me smart,” Brown said. “I think he wanted me dumb. And I didn’t want that because we have five kids (together). That was a struggle.”
She said if she didn’t branch out, she could have lost her kids and her house. She recently completed a construction class at the MOKAN Institute, where she used some of the skills she gained there to help tarp roofs for victims of the May 16 tornado, as well as some of her neighbors.
“I just wanted to start loving my life more and caring about and understanding what's going on around me, instead of always putting my head down,” Brown said. “I want to change the world. You know, I want to do something different.”
Others have a different story.
“I literally was in a criminal lifestyle since I was 20 years old. I was raised right, but I turned the wrong way, and it happens. If you're not changing it, you're choosing it."
— Haley Meier, community outreach coordinator at Connections to Success
Haley Meier, 46, is the Community Outreach Coordinator at Connections to Success. She’s been working there for four months but participated and graduated from the program herself last year.
“I believe in the program because it helped me,” Meier said. “What better person to represent it than someone that it affected.”
She regained her freedom last summer after spending 10 years in federal prisons, the last one being the Federal Correctional Institution in Greenville, Illinois.
She said she never imagined a year later she’d be working as a community outreach coordinator for the same organization that helped her get back on her feet — Connections to Success.
“I literally was in a criminal lifestyle since I was 20 years old,” Meier said. “I was raised right, but I turned the wrong way, and it happens. If you're not changing it, you're choosing it. So you know that's just what I live by.”
Congratulations
Ten people held their certificates high and smiled for a picture on July 18 at the St. Louis office in the DeBaliviere Place neighborhood on graduation day.
It had been a long two weeks, as many started off uncertain but ultimately said they were thankful they took the class.
And the organization doesn’t close files on anyone, even after they leave, according to Katrina Watts, 50, the group’s project manager coordinator.
“They could work for five years and then lose their job and still come back to us, and we will help them try to find employment,” Watts said. “I have walked in their shoes before, and just to be involved with this, it’s my passion, it’s not a job. I believe in second chances, and I understand where people come from in these situations.”
Regional Program Director Ptah Walls said watching people grow through the program never gets old. At least five of the students had job offers by graduation.
“The beauty of this is seeing the work being done, seeing the interactions, the participants coming and going, them being transported to job interviews and job fairs,” Walls said.
Brown said she feels like she gained family through the program and enjoyed networking the most.
“That was a hard thing to accept, because I used to be like, man, I don't like people, get away from me,” she said. “They are huggers in here, and I have to get used to that. But I like it. Maybe it was something that I needed.”
