Today we’d like to introduce you to Giovanni Sairras.
Hi Giovanni, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Giving and getting second chances.
My name is Giovanni Sairras and I am an entrepreneur managing several businesses throughout South Florida. I currently own a successful consulting firm boasting several contracts with multi-national companies.
I am also the co-owner of a technology company, a healthcare agency, and the founder and executive director of a grassroots organization which we will discuss later.
My entrepreneurial pursuits began following a lengthy prison stint in May of 2020 for drug trafficking offenses. I was a very misguided youth but an extremely ambitious person back when I was arrested.
Often when ambition lacks guidance and positive direction it tends to lead in the wrong direction. My blind ambition caused me to serve a seventeen-year prison sentence. One of the biggest lessons I learned while incarcerated was that there are so many brilliant men and women who have been impacted by the justice system and deserve a second chance at life.
Ironically, prison is where I met some of the best and brightest human beings. Many of whom just needed a second chance opportunity. So that is why, after I was released from prison, I decided to start a non-profit organization called Re-Entry One Inc., which gives second chances to those reentering society following a jail or prison stint.
Our organization’s goal is to reduce Florida’s recidivism rates by providing evidence-based reentry support services to our program participants. Some of our supportive services include food, clothing, employment services, housing support, and access to free healthcare and healthcare services.
Our programs and services prevent so many of our participants from reoffending and returning to jail or prison. That is why I decided to do this work. Seeing guys maintain their employment as well as their sobriety is so fulfilling and is what keeps me going.
According to current justice department statistics, most crimes are committed out of desperation. If we remove those desperations and replace them with resources such as those I described earlier, then we can make a difference in our communities because we can keep folks from committing crimes in those communities.
This means our organization not only provides resources to folks reentering society following incarceration, but it also solves crime by virtue of providing those valuable resources.
Therefore, contrary to popular belief, given the opportunity of a second chance, I believe returning citizens can achieve a life of success within a free society without fearing the possibility or threat of returning to a life of crime and consequently returning to prison.
The future of Reentry One Inc. is bright and clear. We expect to open offices in other cities across Florida and abroad. We have received offers from organizations and agencies outside of the state of Florida that are interested in establishing a Reentry One Inc. in their area.
The issue we are facing right now is funding. I have been funding most of our efforts for three years and we cannot expand into other areas without proper funding. So to anyone reading this, please go to our website and donate to our organization by clicking the support button. We appreciate every single dollar and dime donated.
When I’m asked why I do this work, my answer is always swift and simple; I make mistakes. Therefore, don’t all deserve a second chance. I got mine and look at all of the great things that I’ve chosen to do with it.
That’s why we should give someone who needs it a second chance. We may be surprised by what they do with that second chance opportunity. Lastly, just imagine for a second. It may be you who may need that second chance opportunity one day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the struggles I faced as a new business was navigating a new start-up during the Covid-19 pandemic. Like most small business owners, I was blindsided by the sudden appearance of the pandemic. So with regards to my consulting firm, I had to become creative and design a new system that would drive up sales as well as ensure client retention.
That feat was not easy to pull off but by watching where distressed businesses were spending their money and what the money was being spent on, I was able to then take that information and design sales and marketing strategies that focused on their needs. And that’s where I made my mark in the consulting industry.
Remember, business is all about developing solutions to problems and monetizing the solutions. Once the solutions are monetized, then you create a fully automated system through which you sell, market, and implement those solutions to your clients and potential clientele.
As far as the non-profit is concerned, like most grassroots organizations, we struggled with funding. This is a continual issue with us because we are a relatively new organization and grants are normally awarded to nonprofits that have been around for a while.
To deal with the funding issue, we’ve beefed up our fundraising campaigns. I connected with some veterans in the field to assist us with improving our fundraising efforts. We are hopeful that 2024 will be a better year for Re-entry One Inc., as we seek to expand into other cities across the nation.
We’ve been impressed with Re-Entry One, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Re-Entry One Inc. is a nonprofit organization that serves folks reentering their communities following incarceration. We are based in Miami, Florida but most of our services span across the entire state.
Our Mission is to reduce Florida’s recidivism rate by providing reentry programs and resources to those returning to their communities.
Some of the programs and resources we provide are food, clothing, housing assistance, employment training and job placement, access to free healthcare enrollment, Peer Mentoring, financial literacy training, and more.
What sets us apart from any other organization within our field is the fact that many of our volunteer staff are men and women with lived experience who are justice-impacted enabling them a greater connection with the folks that they serve.
What we want people to know about us is that we are a second-chance organization that takes great pride in the way in which we serve our program participants. We are returning citizens working with and for returning citizens.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes me happy is to serve people especially those desperately needing a second chance at life. I believe that the greatest deed in life is to be of service to others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reentryone.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reentryoneinc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reentryoneinc
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovanni-sairras-409a56260
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/reentryoneinc
- Other: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/08/02/lauderhill-program-helping-ex-cons-find-new-opportunities-through-entrepreneurship/
Image Credits
K Truth Visuals
