GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Dee Dee Taylor is channeling her pain into purpose to change the criminal justice system.
It's a calling inspired by her family's interaction with police and prison.
"At 17 years old, my father was sentenced to life in prison," Taylor told FOX 17 News. "And, I knew as a kid that the only way to [make a change] was through my education...I knew that I needed to get within the systematic aspect of things in order to make real change, so I got my minor degree in psychology, and I just began learning law."
Taylor pursued law enforcement and social work before a tragedy during the pandemic sent her in a new direction.
Her sister, Breonna Taylor, was innocently gunned down during a botched police raid in Louisville, Kentucky in 2020.
"We were very close," Taylor explained. "[Breonna] was the sweetest. She was the one that kept us all together."
Breonna Taylor's death made national headlines and sparked protests across the country.
It was also a defining moment for Dee Dee.
"I knew that I had to take a healing approach. I knew that I had to be very understanding amongst both stakeholders, whether it was law enforcement, whether it's community," she said. "I knew I needed to do something more now my family, both was being impacted by the criminal justice system in different ways. So that is really where Taylor Made Re-Entry was started."
Taylor Made Re-Entry serves returning citizens with support and resources, while also working to bridge the gap between cops and the community.
"We understand that everybody deserves a second chance," she explained. "We ensure that individuals get the services that they need that are going to help them be successful once they come home. And we also make sure that every service is tailored to the individual."
Skills ranging from mental health to life, to parenting skills are shared to aid in the transition back to society.
Assistance is also available to help with getting the proper identification, learning new technology, or even arranging a ride on their release day.
"It's just small things that we never thought about, that I'm doing to assist these individuals in ensuring that they're successful," Taylor said. "I want to give them joy. I want to give them peace. I want to give them hope and knowing that they can come home and be better and never come back there."
Taylor estimates she's been able to help more than a thousand people and counting.
"I'm just a vessel for our community and our people," she said. "I get joy every day just by seeing the clients and their faces and their happiness, I'll say is what makes me happy, and knowing that if I don't do it, who's going to do it? I tell everybody all the time, I'm doing God's work."
Taylor's efforts are making her father proud while honoring her sister Breonna.
"I know that she's proud and smiling down on us, and I know that she's also the person giving our father peace."
Taylor continues to hope- and fight- for the chance that her father will be released one day.
To learn more about Taylor Made Re-Entry, click here.
As the FOX 17 and Lake Michigan Credit Union Pay it Forward Person of the Month, Taylor receives a $550 prize.
Know someone who should be featured next month? Nominate them here.
Meet Scott Swineheart, our September Pay it Forward Person of the Month.
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