TULSA, Okla — One Tulsa non-profit has a perfect record when it comes to connecting women who have been impacted by the justice system with jobs.
Carabelle’s Legacy is a non-profit that was started in 2022.
WATCH: Non-profit offering job skills and training to justice-impacted women:
Non-profit offering job skills and training to justice-impacted women
The non-profit’s program “Belle’s Kitchen” aims to help women that have had run-ins with the legal system by showing them cooking, leadership and social skills and financial literacy while pairing them up with a job after they finish the program.
It’s all to decrease recidivism.
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‘Anybody can do anything’: Belle’s Kitchen aims to give Oklahomans second chance
Recent figures show that recidivism rates in Oklahoma did go down from 21 percent to 18 percent between 2009 and 2019, but Carabelle’s Legacy is trying to help even more.
Ronna Stone is a new member of Belle’s Kitchen.
She says she was given a second chance.
“I was basically a human trafficking victim from 12 to 19, and so I was forced into drug addiction, and that criminal world,” she said. “So I didn’t know any other way of life.”
Founder, Maria Morris, knows what it’s like to have to start over with nowhere to turn after having run-ins with the legal system.
It’s why she’s ensuring that her members have their next steps lined up for them and that they can come to her even after they finish their program.
“All of our Belle’s Kitchen apprentices, actually get real work experience through our catering company, Carabelles Eats and Treats,” she said. “They’re here, they’re preparing community food, any catering orders that we get with supervised instruction.”
The organization has also just gotten a new kitchen to work out of while also managing its micro-cafe.
It’s also where Stone is receiving some new training to become more marketable for her next job.
She’ll be learning more about how to make coffee-based drinks, teas and more.
“I believe people change because I’ve changed,” said Stone. “I’ve changed a lot, and I’ve grown.”
For those interested in joining Belle’s Kitchen, you can apply using this form.
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