As an individual who has been a victim of the system, systemic barriers, prejudice, oppression, racism and many other injustices, I feel it's my life's mission to see this project through.
I was inspired by a fellow client at the Illumination Foundation by the name of Demetria Pope, who is the founder of a Mother's Vision, a nonprofit that focuses on underprivileged youth. Our conversation was my initial source for inspiration.
I'm quite literally growing through it-- I was a member of the CalAIM Whole Person Care Pilot Program while receiving re-entry services incarcerated at Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF). I eventually had to recover from a surgery in Orange County and was sent to Illumination Foundation in Fullerton, California. I was a client three different times as a recipient of CalAIM's Community Supports system; not including the pilot program. I was then connected to the continuum of care services with the Friendship Shelter. Through my life's journey and after realizing the socioeconomic injustices in Southern California, I developed the concept for The Giving Tree Opportunity Center:
The Giving Tree Opportunity Center (TGTOC) is a civic organization that will provide health and social services to disadvantaged communities in North and Central Orange County.
We are pioneering a holistic wellness approach to health that challenges and disrupts deeply rooted socioeconomic disparities. We provide tools, resources, and guidance that empower overlooked and underserved populations of focus to reclaim dignity, strengthen resilience, and build pathways toward sustainable opportunity.
By integrating community health, legal advocacy, re-entry support, and grassroots empowerment strategies, TGTOC redefines what it means to deliver care—placing accessibility, equity, and collective growth at the center of every initiative. Our model is designed not only to meet immediate needs but to transform systemic barriers into bridges of opportunity, ensuring that every individual has the chance to thrive.