“Am I Next?” How Zion Girls Is Changing the Future for Daughters of Incarcerated Parents

Dawn Adams: [00:00:00] My dad was arrested and never came home. He had been in and out of jail so much that it had become my normal, until he didn't come home, and then I realized, "Oh, he must have did something really bad." And I went on for years not knowing how it had really affected me until I started losing friends, or I was isolated from different events.

I did not have that community to just express feelings of what I was going through

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There are some nonprofit organizations that begin with an idea, and others that begin with a lived experience that simply won't let go. Zion Girls is one of those organizations. My guest, founder Dawn Adams, knows firsthand what it means to grow up with an incarcerated parent. Her father went to prison when she was just 12 years old, leaving her to navigate the shame, isolation, uncertainty, and responsibilities that came with it largely on her own.

Years later, when Dawn began recognizing those same experiences in young girls around her, she decided they shouldn't have to navigate them alone. Zion Girls now creates a place specifically for girls aged 10 to 17 impacted by parental incarceration, a community where they can talk openly, be mentored, build confidence, improve academically, dream about college and careers, and perhaps most importantly, understand that the circumstances of their family do not [00:03:00] have to determine their future.

In our conversation, Dawn shares the remarkable early impact Zion Girls is already having, the pillars of progress guiding the program, and some incredibly powerful stories from girls who are beginning to see an entirely different future for themselves. This is a very special conversation about breaking generational cycles, the importance of simply being seen and heard, and what can happen when one person turns her own experience into opportunity for someone else.

Dawn Adams, welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. 

Dawn Adams: Thank you for having me. 

Jeff Holden: So over two years ago, I think it was, I heard about this organization that you were putting together called Zion Girls. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And I'm thinking, "Hmm, what's, what's this all about?" And I remember you saying then, "I'm gonna be on your podcast.

I'm gonna be on your podcast." And I said, "Well, you gotta be at least two years old," and here you are- 

Dawn Adams: Oh, 

Jeff Holden: okay ... a little over two years old. 

Dawn Adams: Okay. 

Jeff Holden: [00:04:00] And you've had the, the privilege and benefit to be one of the Fast Pitch Make It To The Stage presenters- 

Dawn Adams: I was ... 

Jeff Holden: which was amazing, and that was almost two years ago.

Almost 

Dawn Adams: two years ago. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, 'cause I remember I had the good fortune of being a judge- 

Dawn Adams: Yay ... 

Jeff Holden: that year. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And it was incredible. 

Dawn Adams: It was incredible. I'm still living in that moment. 

Jeff Holden: Isn't it great? 

Dawn Adams: It's great. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. And, and, and what SVP does for so many of the nonprofits in that exercise, even if you don't make it to the stage, the benefit that you get of going through the process- 

Dawn Adams: Yes

Jeff Holden: and the presentation and the coaching and the prep- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: it, it's amazing. 

Dawn Adams: It's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I learned a lot of tools and Got a lot of support from the staff and other coaches, and I carry that with me now 

Jeff Holden: A- and what a great way for a young organization to get it that early on, 'cause some people may go three, four, five, six, 10 years and really not get that story as [00:05:00] well-honed or have the coaching or the benefit of access to resources.

And with- Yeah ... BASPICH, it's there for you. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: I mean, in a professional- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: big city way. 

Dawn Adams: In an overwhelming way. 

Jeff Holden: Yes, yes. Yes. Uh, for everybody- Yeah ... regardless of where you are, it is- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: truly- Right ... truly that. 

Dawn Adams: Well, my goal was to make it to the stage. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: A- and again, think about this. You had organizations in there that were mature organizations, 10, 20, 30 years in the community.

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And here's- Yeah ... little Zion girls come up and- Yeah ... a- and making it. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Let's, let's get into this conversation. Mm-hmm. A- as many founders of businesses, nonprofit or not, their passion often comes from experience, and it's something in that experience that, that triggers the desire to create something different and something that services whatever it is that experience was about.

And sometimes it's because a product or somebody's service didn't do what it [00:06:00] was supposed to do, and somebody'll do this better. Or, or you're creating a need for something that doesn't exist that you see is, is there. A- and the point is that whatever the discovery of the need is, somebody took action.

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And, and that's what you did. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: You had an experience that you've lived with all your life. 

Dawn Adams: All my life. 

Jeff Holden: And it took until now, couple years ago, but that wasn't the genesis of it, to actually bring it to fruition. Right. And, uh, I'd like you to share that- 

Dawn Adams: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: you know, with us, what it was. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. So, um, I was very young, I wanna say 12 years old My dad was arrested and never came home.

The interesting thing about that is he had been in and out of jail so much that it had become my normal until he didn't come home, and then I realized, "Oh, he must have did something really bad." And I went [00:07:00] on for years not knowing how it had really affected me until I started losing friends or I was isolated from different events.

I did not have that community to just express feelings of what I was going through. I've yet to have a father-daughter dance. 

Darrell Teat: Hmm. 

Dawn Adams: You know? And so it carries a lot of weight, a lot of shame, and a lot of embarrassment. And I did not-- I just went on with life, and this was just life until my daughters were in high school and I began to watch their friends- 

Jeff Holden: And you say daughters, how many?

Dawn Adams: Two daughters. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: Two daughters, 27 and 30. But I began to see their friends in high school react like I did when I was their age. And so then I became the nosy mother and poking around enough to find out mom is in jail or dad is in jail, both of them are in jail, [00:08:00] and they were either in foster care or with guardianship of another family member, or they were bed surfing so that they would not have to go into the system.

Scott Thomas: Mm-hmm. 

Dawn Adams: And I had bought into enough lies growing up that I did not wanna see them fall into that ditch as well. And so, you know, enough Of the emotions of watching this that I said, "Okay, something has to be done. How do I do it? Where do I start? I don't know what I'm doing, but I know they need help." Mm-hmm.

And so even years after that, Zion Girls was still nagging at me, so to speak- Yeah ... to start. And so I said, "Okay, I'm gonna do this." 

You 

know, both feet jump off the ledge and yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And so you, you start the organization with the expectation of, of serving who? 

Dawn Adams: Daughters with incarcerated parents. What I- So father 

Jeff Holden: or mother.

Dawn Adams: Father or mother. Or both, unfortunately. Or both. 

Jeff Holden: Yep. 

Dawn Adams: We have [00:09:00] girls that are generational, meaning they have more than one family member in prison. It could be another sibling, it could be parent or both parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and they're affected more than we realize because they don't have anybody to share this with.

My brother and I grew up in the same house, but we never talk about it, and his experience, we're nine years apart, but his experience was very different from my experience, and we, we just don't talk about it, you know? 

Jeff Holden: And, and you, so you basically both grew up without a father. 

Dawn Adams: Grew up without a father.

Jeff Holden: Your mother had all that responsibility and- All 

Dawn Adams: the responsibility ... 

Jeff Holden: and surely both of you at some point because- 

Dawn Adams: Well, I was- ... you were kids. Yeah, and so my mother was focused on making sure my dad was safe. Even in prison, he was safe, um, and stayed out of trouble and had everything he needed. And [00:10:00] so instantly I became the other parent, you know, 12, 14 years old, and I'm preparing the meals.

I'm getting us to and from school. And You lose that childhood. You lose being able to just be a kid because you have responsibilities that are very adult responsibilities. 

Jeff Holden: And in looking at your daughter's friends- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: now in school who- 

Dawn Adams: Same thing. Same. 

Jeff Holden: So tell us a little bit what that looks like today for those girls.

Dawn Adams: Thankfully, they, they latched onto me, and I, I wanna say it was because I was available and just listened to them and had something to share with them, even if it was just a hug or word of encouragement. You can do this. You can go to college. You don't always have to be in survival mode. I bought into the lies that the best, the only way I would get out is on my back.

That's not [00:11:00] true. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Dawn Adams: And so I wanted to make sure that these girls didn't fall into that lie. But now they're thriving and, and doing well, college graduates, married, children, a normal life. But they needed somebody to talk them through that pain, that p- you know, separation- 

Jeff Holden: Yeah ... 

Dawn Adams: the anxiety, the not knowing what's gonna happen, and so it's a good thing.

Jeff Holden: So now they have Zion Girls as a structured- 

Dawn Adams: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: program as opposed to second mom Dawn- Yeah ... who is, is, is helping because they're friends of your daughters, and you wanna do what you can to- 

Dawn Adams: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: to facilitate whatever it is for them. What does Zion Girls look like? How, how is it structured? You know, you mentioned the pillars.

Let's talk a little bit about 

Dawn Adams: that. Yeah. So we have... And a friend of mine shared that with me in a, in a business model, the pillars of PROGRESS. And if we look at the pillars, anybody could grab the pillars and apply it to their life. [00:12:00] But I had to apply the pillars to that lifestyle of being a child with incarcerated parents.

And so I say now impacted by parental incarceration, because some of the parents have come home, but there is still that time of impact. And so we serve current and past incarceration. What pillars look like, we start with each letter of PROGRESS is the acronym or is, is, is a word. And so each month we focus solely on that word.

And so when we start the program in October, we'll start with persevere. And so all of the lessons are on persevere, all of the assignments, all of the journaling prompts, everything is on persevere. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Dawn Adams: And we, I don't wanna say drill it into them- Yeah ... but we drill it into them. Sure. And so they know that now I can persevere.

I know what it takes to persevere. I know what it looks like. I know what it means. I can teach others how to persevere. And then the next month we [00:13:00] go with R, and that's reach higher. And so reach higher was really interesting because that gave them an insight into, I can go to college. I can be a business owner.

I can change the world if I persevere, and then I'm reaching higher. And then we go with overcome challenges. And so it goes on, and the very last S is strive for success. And so what does that mean? That means that you keep doing everything that you did to get to strive for success. Mm-hmm. To success. And so I gave the girls an assignment to find three universities that you wanna go to.

We're housed at Sac State, which is wonderful, and so 

Jeff Holden: many 

Dawn Adams: of them 

Jeff Holden: had 

Dawn Adams: never been on campus, 

Jeff Holden: and so they're just wowed 

Dawn Adams: by all this, this stuff that you can now do on 

Jeff Holden: campus So this is their first experience seeing- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: what it would be like going to- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: university. They were 

Dawn Adams: amazed by a three-story library, right?

And so now it's like, "Oh, I can do this." And so the [00:14:00] assignment was find the school that you re- your passion school that you really wanna go to. Get the school that you know you can get into, and then let's look at one that's far reached. What does it take to get into all of those? And then what are you doing to get there?

And so they're working on those assignments throughout the entire process. They're writing letters to the universities to say, "Okay, I'm in eighth grade. I wanna come to your school and study X, Y, and Z, and what do I need to do? How are my grades now going to affect m- a yes or no from you?" And so they're reaching out to the schools.

They're learning what to do, what not to do, extra assignments in the place that they're in now. And so the pillars are working. 

Jeff Holden: Let me ask you, uh, about the, the girls themselves. How do they find out about you or how do you find them? How do they get into the organization? 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. So initially, our two [00:15:00] primary partners were Project Rebound, which is a re-entry program.

And so- 

Jeff Holden: That's at Sac State, right? 

Dawn Adams: That's at Sac State. Yes. And so our information was being taken into the prisons so that those parents can then enroll their, their children. Oh, 

Jeff Holden: wonderful 

Dawn Adams: The bad thing about that is once you're in prison, you no longer have custody. 

Jeff Holden: Mm. 

Dawn Adams: But now we have the information, and so we do some reaching out.

Our biggest support and partner is Prison Fellowship, and they work on the outside of the prisons with the families. And so they have a database of girls that are involved in their programs. And so when they started, they initially wanted to just provide Christmas on behalf of the inmates for the children, hoping that it would manifest into a mentoring program.

They struggle in that area because nobody wants to do a year-round mentoring program. Well, we're a mentoring program. You are the 

Jeff Holden: program, 

Dawn Adams: right? Right. And so that was an [00:16:00] easy fix. And so I get a lot of, a huge database actually from them. My most recent database in Sacramento County, girls 10 to 17, just under 300 girls.

And you say, "Wow." 

Jeff Holden: That's a lot. 

Dawn Adams: That's a lot. And that's if they're involved in their programs. And so then you have to think about all the other girls that are not. So we're looking at probably a good thousand girls in Sacramento County impacted by parental incarceration. 

Jeff Holden: What's the capacity that you can handle?

Dawn Adams: Any given space- How 

Jeff Holden: long do you last? How long is the program that they go through? 

Dawn Adams: So we, so the pillars are eight sessions, but we do a 10-month program because we need a break, right? 

Jeff Holden: Sure. Yes. 

Dawn Adams: And we need to refuel so that we can be ready for the next class. And so we say, "Once a Zion girl, always a Zion girl."

So you don't age out, or you don't get to the point where you don't need us anymore. Because what I'm finding [00:17:00] is adults need this as well. I get that a lot. "Well, that's wonderful for the kids. What about me?" Yeah. "I'm, I'm in my 30s and I'm still impacted." And so we're looking to see how we can help them as well.

Jeff Holden: What's the age range of girls? 

Dawn Adams: 10 to 

Jeff Holden: 17. Okay. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. And so we have You know, those older 18 and 18 to 25 that say, "I need help too." And so we're looking to expand to include them in some type of a way, but it's, it... I think it's gonna be a struggle because now they're considered women. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Dawn Adams: Legally they're considered women.

So- That were 

Jeff Holden: emancipated youth- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah, yeah ... and especially if they're in the 

Jeff Holden: foster care system- Exactly ... they're out at 18. 

Dawn Adams: And so we're... You know, I don't wanna throw anybody away or let anybody slip through the cracks, and so yeah, next time I come back I'll have an answer. 

Jeff Holden: That's gonna be the next question.

You know, who, who do you collaborate with? Who do you find works with you in this? I mean, you mentioned, you know, the prison [00:18:00] system and the, uh- Mm-hmm ... 

Dawn Adams: Sac 

Jeff Holden: State program. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. So right now we're building relationships with the county probation office, the county child protective services office, school districts, because they all know the kids but don't have any place to send them or any place to, you know, refer them to.

Sadly, we're the only ones in the state of California- 

Jeff Holden: Doing what you're doing ... 

Dawn Adams: doing what we do. Yeah. And so when we tell people about it, it's unheard of because they hadn't heard of it. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Dawn Adams: And I said, "Nope, we're here." And we've also gotten the, "Well, we're out of Sacramento County, we're down in Southern Cal, or we're in the Bay Area.

Is there a virtual option?" So, you know, something else to put on the plate. You know, how do we fit in a virtual option for those girls that are, you know, 

Jeff Holden: outside of- Not, not residents ... yeah. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah 

Jeff Holden: How often do you interact with them? 

Dawn Adams: So this past year is our, our inaugural year, and we did [00:19:00] one Saturday a month, and the girls asked for more time.

Jeff Holden: Sure. 

Dawn Adams: You know? And I was, I was thrilled, I was humbled that they wanted to do more time. So coming for the next year when we start in October, we'll do two Saturdays, and we'll do, and we'll add in a weeknight where it'll be virtual. 

Jeff Holden: And then are they connected throughout the week? 

Dawn Adams: They're connected with me throughout the week- Okay

by their choice. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: So they reach out to me during the week just to talk. 

Jeff Holden: Sure. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. They started calling me. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. I, I can see it because you're- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: the experienced. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. And so they just want somebody to talk to- Okay ... and somebody to listen to them, and somebody to see them and encourage them. They want somebody to tell their, about their day.

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Dawn Adams: You know? "Oh, Miss Dawn, remember that test I had? I did really good. I messed up on that answer, but I did the rest." You know, they just want somebody to talk to. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. And somebody who hears them- Yeah ... who actually listens to them. 

Dawn Adams: Absolutely. 

Jeff Holden: [00:20:00] Which I'm sure is a big, big, big part of the program. Yeah, 

Dawn Adams: yeah.

Jeff Holden: Now, at this point, how many do you have in a cohort? So the numbers fluctuate, which is really 

Dawn Adams: interesting- 

Jeff Holden: Okay. Well, I imagine you might have some who drop out, huh? 

Dawn Adams: So we started out with four, and to me that was... I wanted to have 100. Mm-hmm. But we started out with four. We graduated to seven, and then we went to 11, and then we dropped back down to four.

And so, and then we finished at, back at the seven. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: So, 

so that 

Jeff Holden: was- So is it, do you grad... I'm, I'm putting this in air quotes for those- Yeah ... who aren't seeing. Is, is, is it a graduation of sorts once they've gone through the program, and then you just keep track of where they're going and what they do?

Dawn Adams: So we do, our program escalates every year. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, okay. 

Dawn Adams: So the ones that- Yeah ... was in the program this past year, they'll start over with the pillars, but it'll be more intense. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. So it, uh, let's say a 10-year-old or 11-year-old can go then as a 12-year-old into- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: the pro- so it'll, it'll continue. Yes. It'll compound itself, basically.

Dawn Adams: Yes, yes. And so [00:21:00] my hope and dream is that once they go to college, they'll come back and be mentors- 

Jeff Holden: Yeah ... '

Dawn Adams: cause they've been there. 

Jeff Holden: Not totally dissimilar from IYT. 

Dawn Adams: Right. 

Jeff Holden: Men Tomorrow, what they're doing- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: with men. 

Dawn Adams: Yes, yes. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: In fact, he and I, we spoke, and he says, "I'm glad you're doing this 'cause I do the boys.

I have no place for girls." 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Dawn Adams: So yeah, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: In terms of some of the other organizations With your programs, are there opportunities that complementary programs could fit? Because you're gonna be limited by sheer resources, number one, but, but people, number two. 

Dawn Adams: We actually, we have a lot of people that want to be involved out of lived experience.

I get a lot of thank yous for doing this. Thank you for sharing my story. And I say, "Oh, I didn't know I was sharing your story." But- Yeah ... so we get a lot of support that way, a lot of those that say, "How, how can I help?" And [00:22:00] I've been asked, "If my child is not impacted by incarceration, can she still be a part?"

And I said, "But the conversation changes because these girls are very comfortable talking about their situation because they know everybody is in the same situation." 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Dawn Adams: I don't know that I wanna bring in somebody that's, doesn't have an incarcerated parent because the conversation changes. They can't begin to understand what these girls are going through.

It was brought to my attention by my best friend of almost 50 years that she never knew my dad was incarcerated until his funeral. 

Jeff Holden: Wow. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah, because I didn't talk about it. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. And so she wants to come up from Southern Cal to talk about that friendship that you can have and that you can 

Jeff Holden: trust, and so 

Dawn Adams: we'll see how we, you know, integrate that lesson.

Jeff Holden: We'll be right back with Dawn Adams, founder of Zion [00:23:00] Girls, right after a few words from the people who help make this program possible 

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Jeff Holden: In terms of funding, and I know you've been successful with some of the organizations in town, SAFE Credit f- Union for one, I remember- Yes ... seeing that. That was a lot of noise made on that, which was nice. Yes. But what are you doing for funding? How are you funding the organization?

Dawn Adams: Private donations. [00:27:00] 

Jeff Holden: Oh, wow. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. Private donations. Because we're... We serve a population that most people overlook because, again, it's not talked about. And these are, these girls are not bad kids. They're just overlooked, and so they still need guidance, they still need help, they still need the resources. And so people are stepping in and saying, "Here's in kind," or, "Here's a financial donation.

How can I help? Can I provide lunch? Can I provide breakfast?" And so that's where it's coming from. 

Jeff Holden: What's your outreach look like? What's Dawn doing? I mean, I can only imagine. 

Dawn Adams: We, we do a lot of social media. 

We work the database from Prison Fellowship, but that's it. Word of mouth. Networking. People that are familiar with Fast Pitch.

Networking. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, and I would imagine the girls, because they're younger- Yes ... are fairly [00:28:00] social- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... with- We had one of our eighth graders, she went from Ds and Fs to As and Bs, and she was awarded the opportunity to give the, her eighth grade promotion speech, and she thanked Zion Girls for helping her to be more confident in speaking, and her grades came up, and so she was...

She's proud to be a Zion girl. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. Well, I look at the website, I see all the girls are wearing- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: you know, their shirts and- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: you know, "I am a Zion girl." Yes. So you're creating this community. 

Dawn Adams: They came up with that. Really? And... Yes, because we had a conversation about traveling, and they said, "Wouldn't it, wouldn't it be cool if we had the same outfit and we're walking through the airport and everybody wants to know, 'Who are those girls?

They must be special. Where are they going? We wanna get to know them.'" And so this, that was all their idea. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Dawn Adams: And they love it. They... [00:29:00] Yeah. Is 

Jeff Holden: that a sports team? What do you guys play? 

Dawn Adams: Right. Right. And then to find out that these brilliant faces are children with incarcerated parents. 

Jeff Holden: If you were to get an interested party that says, "You know, Dawn, we really...

This is a neat organization. Conceptually, it's great. You're young. You're small. We wanna grow it. Here's a blank check," what would it look like? 

Dawn Adams: Our own building. 

Jeff Holden: And? 

Dawn Adams: Scholarships for college. Scholarships. I wanna see... I- I'm just now going to college myself And so I want them all to have that opportunity. I don't want them to be held back by, I don't know where the money's coming from.

I don't want them to have to depend on grants or loans that they have to pay back. I wanna be able to... Yeah, I want Oprah to write a check. 

Jeff Holden: There you go. You send this episode to her- Yes, yes ... when we're done. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. [00:30:00] But I want our own building because right now we're using space at Sac State, so we have to put everything up every, you know, meeting and take it back down.

Put it up, take it back down. So it doesn't look like us, it doesn't feel like us. 

Jeff Holden: Temporary. 

Dawn Adams: It's... Right. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Dawn Adams: And so I want our own building. Yeah. I want them to have a place that they say, "That's our home." 

Jeff Holden: What does the, the staff look like? A- a- and I know that it's all volunteer. 

Dawn Adams: All volunteer. 

Jeff Holden: But what, what do they look like?

Who's, who's got responsibilities for what? 

Dawn Adams: So we have a board of 11. They're very active. Some of my board members have been behind bars. Some of them are professional fundraisers. Some of them are counselors. We have a wonderful advisory council, and everybody's involved. We get the best mentors, um, tutors, and they're all from higher ed.

Mm-hmm. 

Yeah. And- My daughter [00:31:00] serves as, my youngest daughter serves as, uh, she started out as a mentor. They love her because she's their size, and she has fun hair like them. 

Jeff Holden: That's 

Dawn Adams: Leah? And... No. That's Sydney. 

Jeff Holden: Sydney, Sydney. 

Dawn Adams: Sydney is my daughter. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: And so she started out as a mentor, and now she's on the board And she's, she's great with them.

And s- and while I talk to them at, from an adult perspective, and she's an adult, but she can also talk to them as a teenager. And so, and now the fact that she's a professor, they're like, "Ooh, you're a pr- and you're still young. I wanna be like you." 

Jeff Holden: Well, they also get to see and experience somebody who was like them- Yeah, 

Dawn Adams: yeah

Jeff Holden: who has a professional job- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: who was able to succeed- Mm-hmm ... who's gotten their education. Right. And it makes it attainable to them. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: I, I can do this, too. 

Dawn Adams: I can do this, too, [00:32:00] yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. And she challenges them. Sydney challenges them. Dr. Leah Hawkins challenges them. She's our program director. 

Jeff Holden: That, that's right.

Leah- Yes ... my apologies. And, and 'cause I should know Sydney Adams is obviously- Yes ... your daughter. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. But Leah serves on our board as well, and in that capacity, she oversees the program. And so she makes sure that everything is in place, makes sure everything makes sense, makes sure that my vision comes to fruition, and yeah, she does a great job.

We have our treasurer is also a retired probation officer from the juvenile side, so he got to see- Mm ... a lot go on with the kids there and is able to point us in the right direction for that. Yeah, we have those in higher education that's on the board and serve in some capacity. So it's, we have a good, strong team.

Jeff Holden: So everybody's having to show up on a Saturday- 

Dawn Adams: Everybody ... 

Jeff Holden: two [00:33:00] Saturdays now- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: to support the girls. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Today, a- as you look at the organization, what is the greatest need? 

Dawn Adams: Exposure, knowledge I could always say money 

Jeff Holden: Right 

Dawn Adams: But for me personally, I would say exposure 

Jeff Holden: Just people knowing you exist- You know, with- And there's a program out there- Yeah

for these girls- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah, yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: who are in this situation Um, 

Dawn Adams: it's, you know, we've been using social media, and we've gone through a year, and so now we're getting more people say, "Oh, you survived a year. It must be really good." 

Jeff Holden: Yeah 

Dawn Adams: So now we'll come now 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, really good is relative too. Yeah. Exactly. It's like, no, you have no idea how much work it takes to get- Right

to this first year. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. And so I'm always asked, "When do you sleep?" 

Jeff Holden: This- we're going to get to this question at some point- Yes ... a little bit- Yes ... a little bit later. You mentioned one of the girls who, who really saw a change in her, you know, her eighth grade grades and everything. How are you gauging your impact?

You're young, so you have the ability to set up [00:34:00] that structure of what impact is gonna look like, and you're starting from zero. So you can say, "Okay, we started here. This is what we got." As you continue to progress, you can always reference back. What, what does it look like? What are the important elements, not only for you, but for others who are looking to donate to the organization to say, how is it doing?

How do they know- Right ... it's doing well? 

Dawn Adams: We look at, of course, grades. Where, where were you with, you know, when you started? Where are you now? 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Dawn Adams: What do you need help with? And because of the pillars, the girls are more apt to ask for help They, they want to succeed. They have the confidence that I can succeed even if I don't get it at home, I know I can come Saturday and Ms.

Dawn is there, Sydney's there, Dr. Lee is there, and I can get that help. And so we measured that way, and then we measured c- consistent participation. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Dawn Adams: The, the girl may [00:35:00] not be progressing in her grades, but her consistent participation that says, "I need help. I want help. I'm here to get help." Let's start with the mental and- 

Jeff Holden: Right.

Let's just get me- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: my mindset right. 

Dawn Adams: Right. And so we've had that where we've had s- you know, parents that says, "I just don't know what to do with her, but she's happy here. She looks forward to coming here, and so I'm gonna keep bringing her." And eventually the, the change happens at home. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. And you're gonna get to see them from whatever grade level that is- Yeah

that they start 'cause they're gonna progress- Yeah, fifth grade through ... through the program. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Is, is fifth grade, that's the 10-year-old? Yeah. Okay. So fifth all the way up to high school. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. And it's... And initially we started at 14 because that is high school, but then the 14-year-old says, "I have a younger sister, and I can't leave her behind."

And so that's why we dropped the age [00:36:00] 

Jeff Holden: Oh, sure ... 

Dawn Adams: to 10. Yeah. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: So over, over time, what's gonna, depending on how they, they graduate out and what years they come in, but just on the assumption somebody comes in at, at 14 years old to 17, so that, that four years of col- or high school, they're with you all four years, but you're still adding girls at the very beginning.

Mm-hmm. So this is your first year. Now you're into the second year and, and that group is moving up a year in terms of their scholastic and/or age. Right. But you're bringing in a new group. Right. At some point you need a lot more people. Yeah. Otherwise- Yeah ... you can't continue to serve the girls. We're always looking for- Otherwise you're just gonna have- Yeah

a static group that moves through. 

Dawn Adams: We're always looking for mentors. We're always looking for speakers that will come in and teach, you know, on a specific subject or topic. We have a great partnership with SAFE Credit Union, and they come in and teach the girls how to manage money. 

Jeff Holden: Sure. 

Dawn Adams: When I was young, my thought was, "Oh, you have a credit card.

You just swipe." [00:37:00] Right. I didn't know anything about paying the bill. I just swiped. 

Jeff Holden: Right. As so many kids do. 

Dawn Adams: And so many, yes. But now these kids are learning how to save and how to spend wisely, how to build credit, even this young, because it affects you in the long run. It's easier to establish bad credit, but then you gotta fix the bad credit.

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Dawn Adams: And so that's hard. And so that relationship with SAFE is great in that they come in and teach the money side. But yeah. One of our girls surprised me And their assignment was to draw what you want to be. It's easy to write it, but to draw what you want to be, it takes some effort and some thought.

And so she was able to draw a gavel, and I said, "Oh, tell me about this." She says, "I wanna be a judge." And I said, "Okay." I said, "Why?" And she's 13. And she [00:38:00] says, "A judge can hit the gavel and separate a family, and they can hit the same time and put the family back together." 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Dawn Adams: And she said, "I want that kind of power."

And I said, "Okay. Okay." And so I jumped on my phone. I text somebody that I knew that worked in the criminal justice industry, and I said, "I need a female judge that will be a mentor to this young lady, and this is why." And within a week, I have a judge, and she'll start mentoring that young lady in the fall.

Jeff Holden: And won't that be great 10 years from now- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: to see her practicing for- Yes ... her law degree and- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: taking the state bar- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: and all the things that are necessary. 

Dawn Adams: And not only that, but to see the other side of law. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Dawn Adams: Because you hit the gavel, and you separated my parents from me, but you're not a bad person after all, you know?

And so we want that friendship as well so they can see judges aren't [00:39:00] all that bad or- 

Jeff Holden: Right ... 

Dawn Adams: you know, those in law enforcement aren't that bad. They do have my best interests at heart. And so those are relationships that we look to build. 

Jeff Holden: Hey, do you have another success story from the group that you've seen so far go through?

You had the eighth-grader. Any other story for somebody that this girl started like this, and here's where she is now, and this is what we've seen, or... 

Dawn Adams: So there's an another... I don't know how to... She's 14, failing in school- 

Darrell Teat: Hmm ... 

Dawn Adams: running away from home. And so she started coming to Zion Girls, and now she's home stable.

She's rebuilding that relationship with Mom. She brought her grades up, and that's, that's good. You know, she's not running away anymore. She's focused on school. She wants to be somebody. She wants to be able to come to me and say, "Hey, look what I did." And so, yeah, I've become that other mother. But she's, she's doing good, and she's [00:40:00] excited about telling me, "I'm doing good."

Yeah. And she's putting her pillars into practice. 

Jeff Holden: And how about Mom? 

Dawn Adams: Mom is grateful. Mom is thankful. Mom is supportive of if this-- if she has to be with you, I'll let her be with you. You know. And so that's encouraging. Mom was hesitant because this is... Having to say that you have a, a parent that's incarcerated is very private.

But once she heard my story and saw my courage to share, I think that, that helped Mom, and certainly the daughter was like, "Oh, your dad was in prison, too? Oh, let me tell you about my dad 

in prison." So- 

Jeff Holden: Right ... 

Dawn Adams: yeah. And so we d- we get the stories. We don't focus on the parent that's in prison because it's all about the girls.

I wanna see them succeed. I say, "I wanna go to everybody's graduation." If [00:41:00] middle school, high school, co- I wanna go to all the graduations. I wanna bring all the balloons. I wanna bring the big poster with your face on it to show everybody. Yeah, I wanna be there to celebrate you. I, 

Jeff Holden: I love that. That's awesome, especially from both parents' side.

Dawn Adams: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: You know? 

Dawn Adams: I 

had a dad show up. 

Jeff Holden: The mom was incarcerated? 

Dawn Adams: The mom was incarcerated, and the dad had just been paroled, actually. Oh. Right? And the dad showed up and he says, "I've been hearing about this program, and I wanted to say thank you." We don't live in the best of neighborhoods. She could easily fall through the cracks and become that person.

But I'm glad you're doing what you're doing. I can't come in," because he had his ankle bracelet on and all this, but he just came to say thank you. Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: That's rewarding. 

Dawn Adams: I... Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And to, to his point too, I mean, we hear it often with the boys. 

Dawn Adams: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: You know, the gangs and all that, and it, [00:42:00] it... that goes one direction, but for the girls it's a whole, a whole different direction.

Whole different direction. And in some cases, not local. They get trafficked. Right. They get kidnapped. 

Dawn Adams: Right. 

Jeff Holden: They're, they're taken completely away- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: and in some cases lost forever. 

Dawn Adams: Right. 

Jeff Holden: And, you know, that's, that's tragedy when there- Yeah ... is an opportunity and there are programs for support. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: But because of- Yeah

what you're doing, again, that recognition of a parent that's incarcerated changes the dynamic so much more- Yeah ... for that child. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: I mean, everything as you said. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. I had a... One of the other girls, she asked me if she was next, and I said, "Next for what?" And she said, "Next to go to prison." And she says, "My mom is in jail.

My dad is in prison. My brother just went to prison. Am I next?" I said, "Absolutely not on my watch." I said, "Here's my personal cell. If you feel like you are not safe, you call me." 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, if something's going wrong- 

Dawn Adams: Something's going... Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: reach out. 

Dawn Adams: If you need to talk, if you n- d- whatever, [00:43:00] you call me. I don't know what I would do, but you call me.

Jeff Holden: Yeah, right. To, um, to slow it down- Yeah ... whatever it is. You're right. Yeah. Just get in the way of whatever that- Just- ... thought process is- Yes ... or that action- Yes ... is gonna be. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Sure. 

Dawn Adams: And for her to- ... be, you know, 12 years old, and that's her, "Am I next?" Because that was her norm. 

Jeff Holden: Sure. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Well, that gets back to the generational piece of it all.

Dawn Adams: Right. 

Jeff Holden: If they see it and it's repetitive and just keeps happening, and- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: it's so difficult to break it. It is so diff- es- especially with all of a sudden they're knowing you only have one parent. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And then maybe you have no parent. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Because they're both incarcerated. Yeah. Now you're bouncing through the foster system.

Yes. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Or with relatives who have been- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: in similar situations that- Right ... that they just don't know. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. And, and the bad thing is when it's generational- ... it becomes their norm, and that's what they see. That's what they know. And our lives are strange. 

Jeff Holden: Right. You 

Dawn Adams: know, because y- yeah, and it's [00:44:00] sad.

Jeff Holden: That's the biggest frustration. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: You know, and then there's not enough programs, to your point, of recognition. Mm-hmm. They may exist. 

Dawn Adams: Right. 

Jeff Holden: N- not anything like yours, but I'm just- Right ... saying any of these programs where that family is, is in this minded silo that they don't realize they can get- Yeah

there's people there to help. 

Dawn Adams: Right. 

Jeff Holden: Un- until somebody- Right ... you know, reaches out or trips in a situation and says, "Hey, but there, there's something like Zion Girls to- Right ... 

Dawn Adams: to 

Jeff Holden: really help your daughter." 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. Yeah. What's sad for me is we know the prison population is primarily African Americans. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm 

Dawn Adams: That's not the population of Zion Girls.

The majority of our girls are not African American. 

Jeff Holden: Really? 

Dawn Adams: Really. 

Jeff Holden: So what ethnicity are they? 

Dawn Adams: They are- 

Jeff Holden: Or, or mixed? 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. Ev- e- everything else. I have two out of our seven girls, I have [00:45:00] two that are African American. 

Jeff Holden: Interesting. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. And that goes back to we don't want anyone in our, you know, that knows our family secret.

Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Oh. Yeah. I see what you're saying. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: And so- 

Jeff Holden: So it's really just a matter of, you know, what race is comfortable- Right ... that shows up at the time for- Right ... the services that you- Yeah ... can handle. 

Dawn Adams: And they s- they see the value, they see the necessity, and they want their daughter to be a participant.

Scott Thomas: Yeah. 

Dawn Adams: Where... And, and I completely understand because I'm my age and my mother still struggles. 

Jeff Holden: You know, I'm, I'm glad you said that though, because I think it portends something in the opportunity for the organization, because what will happen is those two of seven- 

Dawn Adams: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: then speak out- Right ... and share.

And the next thing you know, it's three or- Yes ... four. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And ideally you grow with- 

Dawn Adams: Yes ... 

Jeff Holden: multiple ethnicities for [00:46:00] sure. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: But as- 

Dawn Adams: And that's why the logo looks like that. 

Jeff Holden: I, I, I saw that, which is b- by the way- ... that's the only logo that's ever filled the bottom of our screen on the entry- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: invite when you come into the- Yeah

into the studio, and, and I love it. You know? Thank you. I, I absolutely love it. So let, let's take a minute to go a little bit beyond the mission. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Your, your organization is very, not, not only purpose, but it is you. You know, it's, it's something that you have experienced. So we're seeing it from that perspective.

We're seeing and hearing Dawn from the incarcerated parents' side of things. Right. But, but there's another Dawn. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: You know, there's the Dawn that's not involved with the day-to-day of the organization, who has another life, wh- which is your, uh, the, the, you know, the outside life and not- Mm-hmm ... weight of the girls on her shoulder all the time life.

Right. Yeah. And this is where we have a little bit of fun for letting- Okay ... the organization- Okay ... share and the people hear from- Okay ... within the organization what, what Dawn's about. Oof. But also for the people who are interested in considering an opportunity to [00:47:00] donate. They like- Yes ... to know that you're a real person too.

I am 

Dawn Adams: a real person. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Dawn Adams: So speaking of, so with the database from Prison Fellowship- 

Jeff Holden: Yes ... 

Dawn Adams: I was mailing brochures, I was emailing, I was texting, everything, and I know that I get a lot of junky mail. And I said, "I need to probably call these people and fully introduce myself and who I am so that they know that I'm a real person and this is a real organization."

So there was some hesitation from other people that I was having to reach out on my behalf, and they said, "We're cold calling." And I said, "Yes, but no." And so we reached out to these families, and they were thrilled, not only that I was a real person, but that somebody thought enough of them to say, "Hey, let me call them," and passionately invite them into the program.

And so I'm looking to expand greatly just by the phone calls. 

Jeff Holden: And think about that. Yeah. Who calls [00:48:00] anymore? 

Dawn Adams: Who calls 

Jeff Holden: anymore? Half the people don't wanna call because they- Right ... don't wanna talk to somebody. Right. They wanna text it. Yeah. They wanna email it. Yes. They don't wanna touch a person's- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah

Jeff Holden: you know, literally, physically and have to- Right ... talk about something like that. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. And some of the conversations were five minutes, and I talked to one woman f- almost 15 minutes, 'cause she says, "Nobody's done this." And she broke down, started crying, and she says, "Stepfather's in prison," and their biological father was in prison and has passed away.

Brad Squires: Hmm. 

Dawn Adams: So there's no more fathers. And I don't know what to do." And I said, "Okay, let's talk about it. Let's just talk about it. I'm your friend. What do you need to talk about?" I said, "How can I help you?" And she said, "Nobody's asked me that." And she just started crying. And I said, "You have my number. You call me.

If you need to vent, if you need to tell me how your day went, good or bad, you call me." 

Jeff Holden: And, and is her daughter in the program yet? 

Dawn Adams: She [00:49:00] will be. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: Both daughters. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, two. Okay. Two 

Dawn Adams: daughters, yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Well, let's, let's get into this. Yes. We're gonna go a bit beyond the admission here for a minute.

Dawn Adams: Okay. 

Jeff Holden: Early bird or night owl? 

Dawn Adams: Both. 

Jeff Holden: Well, you, like... A both. I- So no sleep. N- 

Dawn Adams: yeah, little sleep. I'm usually up, uh, six-ish, for sure, 5:30-ish, six-ish. But I go to bed probably close to midnight. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. 

Dawn Adams: So- 

Jeff Holden: And you're, you're- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: both ends of the day. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: How about favorite place to escape, even if it's just for a moment?

Dawn Adams: My kitchen. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, good. So you like to cook? 

Dawn Adams: I do. 

Jeff Holden: All right. And 

Dawn Adams: I like to cook for big parties. 

Jeff Holden: Even better. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. I can, I can make reservations for me and my daughters, but I love the Christmas big parties and the Thanksgiv- yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. What song, artist, or playlist instantly puts you in a good mood? [00:50:00] It's a fun one, isn't it?

Dawn Adams: Isn't it? So preparing for Fast Pitch, I had one song on that entire time, and the artist is Tasha Cobbs, she's a gospel artist, and the song is I'm Getting Ready. 

Jeff Holden: Great title. I don't know the song, but- Yeah ... I'm gonna listen to it after the fact- Yeah. ... just, just to hear it. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. '

Jeff Holden: Cause I'm getting ready. 

Dawn Adams: I'm getting ready, yeah.

Jeff Holden: How about guilty pleasure? 

Dawn Adams: Do we have enough time? Guilty pleasure, shoe shopping. 

Jeff Holden: Okay, you got it, folks. Shoe shopping. 

Dawn Adams: Shoe shopping. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. What fills your cup when it's empty? 

Dawn Adams: Mm. Wow, these are big questions. I would say prayer. 

Jeff Holden: I heard that faith in- 

Dawn Adams: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: a little bit earlier. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Who believed in you at a pivotal moment?

Dawn Adams: My daughters. 

Jeff Holden: Perfect. 

Dawn Adams: My daughters. Yeah. My oldest daughter, she's a dancer. [00:51:00] She's a great... She's it. She's my cheerleader. They 

Jeff Holden: both are. Contem- contemporary ballet? What, what type? 

Dawn Adams: She's ballroom certified. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, my gosh. So, 

Dawn Adams: right. 

Jeff Holden: Really? 

Dawn Adams: She's ballroom certified. She's also did two NFL teams, two NBA teams. She loves it.

She's trying to teach me how to waltz, but I kept forgetting to breathe. One, 

Jeff Holden: two, three. One, two, three. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. She says, "Mama, you have to breathe." But yeah, my girls are my cheerleaders. Yeah, they were at Fast Pitch making the most noise. 

Jeff Holden: That's perfect, though. That's perfect. What do you hope people feel after spending some time with you or the organization?

Dawn Adams: Encouraged. 

Jeff Holden: And then what would your friends say you're best known for? 

Dawn Adams: Ooh. So my, my high school friends would say that I am best known for my hu- sense of humor and my quick wit. My friends that are immediate with me [00:52:00] now would say I'm best known for prayer. I will pray for anybody at any given time. 

Jeff Holden: Boy, and I'm sure a lot of those people appreciate that.

Uh, uh, your girls, your girls' parents- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: your girls' families. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And I know your girls, your- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: your daughters- Yeah ... I mean, your Zion girls. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. Yes. And that's, I, so I, I shared this rule that I have. Don't mess with my food, my money, or my girls, right? 

Jeff Holden: Well, it should be your shoes too Oh, my shoes. Don't you dare touch those shoes 

Dawn Adams: But, but now I said instead of my two daughters, I have Zion Girls, and so those are my girls too.

So yeah. 

Jeff Holden: But- Yeah, well that, that family's gonna grow. Yeah. Your daughters, your daughters are gonna be- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah, and- ... 

Jeff Holden: plentiful over the course of time ... 

Dawn Adams: my oldest, she wants to create a dance team and take them to competition, and- 

Jeff Holden: Sure ... 

Dawn Adams: I said, "Oh, go ahead." 

Jeff Holden: So, so for the Zion Girls of interest- Yeah ... who wanna do something like that- Yeah

you've got that access too. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: That's wonderful. 

Dawn Adams: There's a lot of healing in [00:53:00] dance. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah, a lot of therapy, so I told her, "Well, knock yourself out." 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. "Do it." But that's your project, girl. Yeah. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Not mine. Yes. I love it. Yes. How can the community support the organization if they're interested in learning more about it, donating?

Dawn Adams: Well, finance is always good. In-kind gifts are always good. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, I'm thinking more where, where do they go? 

Dawn Adams: Go to the website. The 

Jeff Holden: website? Okay. 

Dawn Adams: Website is the best place, uh, ZionGirls.org. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. Yeah. And, and I will put that in the show notes too- Yes ... so it's easy, so don't have to remember. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Although that's probably one of the easiest we've got.

It's four letters, Zion, Z-I-O-N. 

Dawn Adams: ZionGirls.org. And, 

Jeff Holden: and girls- Yeah ... everybody knows. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: So pretty simple. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Well, a- and that gets back to your point of, of recognition. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: You're new. They haven't heard about it. They don't know what this is. Yeah. You know, they just, they just... So I can, I can see that question- Yeah

especially if somebody's gonna give you their daughter- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: you know, to, to work with- Yeah ... and spend time with and- 

Dawn Adams: And so yeah, so all [00:54:00] of the mentors, all of the board members are live scanned, fingerprinted, as well as we take the mandated reporter testing. In the event that something goes wrong, then we are mandated to report incidences 

Jeff Holden: Well, there you go.

Th- not to worry. Yeah. You go to Zion Girls, everything's- Yeah, 

Dawn Adams: yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: everything's solid. Don't, th- the questions- Yeah ... have all been vetted and- 

Dawn Adams: All that ... 

Jeff Holden: and answered. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Well 

Dawn Adams: done. Because I, I say that I'm the, the daughter of an incarcerated parent, but I don't wanna be the incarcerated parent. No, no, no. So.

Jeff Holden: Yeah, right. Yeah. No, well, not in any way, and, and it's important. 

Dawn Adams: It's important, 

Jeff Holden: yeah. It, it is important. And again, that just comes from the novelty of the organization. People just... You're new. Mm-hmm. You're s- you're something that's servicing a need- 

Dawn Adams: Mm-hmm ... 

Jeff Holden: that hasn't really been serviced before. 

Dawn Adams: Right. 

Jeff Holden: It may have been a part of something else- Yeah

but it hasn't been the sole- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: focus- Right ... of girls with incarcerated parents. 

Dawn Adams: Right. [00:55:00] Because there's tons of mentoring programs. 

Jeff Holden: Right. 

Dawn Adams: But we're the only ones that's focused on that population. 

Jeff Holden: Right, and they're not gonna share that in another program when it's- ... young girls with, with- Yeah ... you know, families with both parents- Right

in the household. Right. And, and surely there can be issues there too. 

Dawn Adams: Mm-hmm. 

Jeff Holden: But not where one's already in jail. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: That's the tough part. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: You know, I wanna congratulate you on identifying a real niche. Thank you. 'Cause that, that's one that is a system of service that hasn't been served- Yeah ... hasn't been identified.

Yeah. Probably neglected- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: when it's much bigger than we think. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And, and, you know, you had a stat. I, I saw it in the presentation, I think, on the website. 

Dawn Adams: 36%. 36% of girls will follow in their parents' footsteps. 

Jeff Holden: Yes. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: So, so better than a third- ... of which we cannot afford- Right ... to have happen. 

Dawn Adams: Right.

Jeff Holden: You know, that, that's no way to have the [00:56:00] community improve- 

Dawn Adams: Right ... 

Jeff Holden: its situation. 

Dawn Adams: Right. And so we're l- we're looking at partnering with Sacramento County Probation. They want... We're trying to figure out how to bring the program into the detention facility to eliminate repeat offenses and get those girls on the right track.

Even though they're, you know, in the facility, once they come out, they'll just transition right into our facility as well. So we're looking for some big partnerships and yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Well, you've got a lot of growth ahead of you then. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And a lot of work to do, and hopefully this will be a bit of a catalyst to- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah

Jeff Holden: help you share the story and, and- Yeah ... get it out to more and more people. From your volunteer team, to you, to the girls who have had the courage to step into this new program where they have to- Yeah ... share everything- 

Dawn Adams: Yeah ... 

Jeff Holden: and talk about it for real. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Thank you for what you are doing- Thank you

because it is uniquely different, uniquely necessary, and I [00:57:00] think will be wildly successful as we go along. 

Dawn Adams: Wildly successful. So- I think I'll get a T-shirt made. 

Jeff Holden: There you go. 

Dawn Adams: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Let's, let's go make something better. 

Dawn Adams: Yes. Let's go make something better. 

Jeff Holden: Dawn, thank you. 

Dawn Adams: Thank you. 

Scott Thomas: Thank you for listening to the Nonprofit Podcast Network.

Jeff Holden: We hope today's episode inspired you and gave you a deeper look into the work of our local nonprofits. If you believe in our mission to amplify their voices, please take a moment to leave us a positive review and share this episode with a friend. It helps more people discover the incredible work happening in our community.

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