Today we’d like to introduce you to Mahlia Lindquist.
Hi Mahlia, I’m so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised in Miami and practiced law here for ten years. Then I spent 12 years in Boulder, CO, where I raised my two girls, but always had an affinity for Miami, and yes, even missed the humidity.
Miami is such a diverse city with something interesting always going on; it’s my home. After moving back to Miami ten years ago, I was introduced to a non-profit, the Ladies Empowerment & Action Program (“LEAP”), at an event where a LEAP graduate shared her story of trauma, addiction, and resilience. I was blown away by how the system had failed her at every turn, and how the LEAP program helped her to regain a sense of self-worth and provided the tools she needed to start over.
I immediately volunteered to serve as a mentor with LEAP at the local prison. I am still close with my mentee, Rebecca, who is out of prison, thriving, and on the LEAP board of directors. My role at LEAP evolved, and I am now the executive director and can’t imagine doing anything else.
LEAP has also evolved from just delivering classes at the prison, to a full-service reentry program that includes housing and a social enterprise, Dragonfly Thrift Boutique, where justice-involved women work. I encourage people to stop by Dragonfly or one of our monthly events and get to know us. I guarantee that you will be warmly welcomed and, like me, want to come back for more.
To know us is to love us.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Is there such a thing as a smooth road? And, when it comes to previously incarcerated women the road is especially rocky. Most of the women we serve have endured extreme trauma starting from when they were children that, left untreated, led to prison. Even though they were victims long before being labeled criminals, justice-involved women are stigmatized, and services for women with a record do not tend to garner broad support.
What we are most often up against is working with the criminal justice system, politics, and negative public opinion. Did you know that women released from prison generally leave prison with, at most, a $50 gift card? They leave without necessities such as clothing or a phone, and most employers are unwilling to hire them.
The biggest challenge, however, is housing, which of course is a basic human need. Housing in Miami is simply unaffordable and even for the few women who can afford it, most landlords won’t rent to someone with a record. LEAP has two transitional homes that accommodate up to 12 women, but the homes are rented so we are at the mercy of skyrocketing rental rates.
The good news is that while fundraising is always a challenge, the current Miami-Dade mayor and most of the commissioners recognize that public safety must include rehabilitation, so LEAP has received support from the County, the Miami Foundation, the Carrie Meek Foundation, and other forward-thinking public servants. They recognize that empowering women re-entering society has strong and important ripple effects: They become active mothers, daughters, aunts, and friends again, as well as returning to work and earning a living.
As you know, we’re big fans of the Ladies Empowerment & Action Program (“LEAP”). For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Since 2009, LEAP has provided life-altering education and support to women transitioning from prison in Florida, a state where only 14% of women in prison have access to programming. We are the only organization in the state that provides comprehensive programming, and we are one of the few who uses an incarceration-to-community holistic model of reentry.
LEAP relies on donations from our community. Tax-deductible donations can be made through our website, www.LeapforLadies.org. We also accept donations of men’s and women’s clothing, furniture, and home accessories at the Dragonfly Thrift Boutique, 3141 SW 8th Street, or at the LEAP Reentry Hub, 5815 SW 68th Street. Shop Dragonfly at the 8th Street location or online, at www.DragonflyThrift.org.
This includes entrepreneurship, employment skills, and trauma-informed substance abuse classes so that our graduates can return to their communities and their families as productive people, who love themselves and who love life. As a result, just 6% of LEAP graduates return to prison in comparison to a national recidivism rate of over 50%.
This last year, we have expanded from the Florida State prisons to the County jail. LEAP also doubled the number of students and classes for the prison program. These expansions have allowed us to serve almost 500 women – a tenfold increase! LEAP opened a second transitional home because women coming out of prison are ineligible for homeless services.
Our social enterprise, Dragonfly Thrift Boutique, is a cornerstone of LEAP. Everything that is sold is donated and every dollar goes back into our program. All of the women that work there graduated from our in-prison program as jobs for women coming out of prison are almost impossible to come by. My experience is that these women are the best employees, and anyone can see them first-hand when they shop with us. We are honored to have been named Best Thrift Shop by the Miami Herald and the Miami New Times.
While our organization offers tangible skills with education and assistance with housing and jobs, it also offers something priceless, hope.
Networking and finding a mentor can have a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Volunteer. Whether your interests are kids, animals, social justice, business, or the environment, there are tons of opportunities. Show up. And when you do, be curious, ask questions, and offer to help.
Follow through. Many people say they want to help but lack follow-through. Finding the right mentor can be tricky, maybe like finding the perfect therapist, but when you connect with someone, the mentor-mentee relationship can be a rewarding experience for both parties.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LeapForLadies.org | www.DragonflyThrift.org
- Instagram: @Leapforladies | @Dragonflythrift
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leapforladies
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ladies-empowerment-and-action-program-leap-/
Image Credits
Nola Schoder
