When Nancy Datte saw a short documentary about prison service work back in 2008, something stirred deep within her. “I want to do THAT,” she remembers thinking. Fifteen years later, she’s still coming back and the reasons why reveal the transformative power of genuine human connection.
The First Workshop: A Humbling Beginning
Like many volunteers, Nancy arrived at her first Freedom to Choose workshop with good intentions and fresh education, ready to help. What she encountered turned her expectations upside down.
“I was wowed by the wisdom I heard expressed from various women who were inmate participants,” Nancy recalls. These women, who had been doing the work longer than she had, shared insights of profound depth. “I wasn’t expecting to hear that.”
But the real revelation came when Nancy recognized something fundamental: “It quickly became clear to me that but for my circumstances and good fortune, I too could have ended up in prison.”
That moment of recognition—that we are all just human beings doing the best we can in our given circumstances—became the foundation of Nancy’s ongoing commitment.
32 Workshops, 22 Groups, and One Simple Truth
After 15 years of service, having attended 32 Freedom to Choose two-day workshops and 22 support groups, Nancy admits the question “What keeps you coming back?” is difficult to answer with words alone.
“It’s the experiences I have had and the people I have connected with,” she explains. “It’s not something I can easily explain since it’s so experiential.”
What Nancy can articulate is the profound value of sitting with a small group of people in a safe, intimate setting, sharing challenges, fears, sorrows, and joys without judgment. She’s witnessed how weekend workshops create profound shifts in perspective not just for incarcerated participants, but for herself.
“I think I’m a better person with a greater capacity for love for having participated in this program,” Nancy reflects.
And then there’s the community. “Going back to a workshop always feels like a big family reunion with the other volunteers and participants I’ve gotten to know over the years.”
Nancy adds with characteristic warmth: “Sometimes I have a hard time tamping down my enthusiasm when asked about FTC!”
Beyond the Prison Walls
Between workshops and groups, Nancy has built a full life rich with experiences. Her family spent several years living in London, where they met people from around the world and traveled extensively through Europe. She’s recently joined an all-women’s chorus with about 100 members, channeling her love of singing into collective harmony.
These days, the self-described “cheese-head” calls Arizona home, drawn by what matters most: proximity to her two grandsons, ages 6 and 2.
The Gift That Goes Both Ways
Nancy’s journey illustrates something essential about Freedom to Choose’s model: transformation isn’t a one-way street. The program doesn’t just change incarcerated participants; it changes everyone in the room.
Volunteers come thinking they’re there to give, only to discover they receive just as much, if not more. They come to help people heal, only to find their own healing accelerated. They come with answers, only to be humbled by wisdom from unexpected sources.
Nancy’s 15-year commitment is a testament to this reciprocal magic. This precious, hard-to-explain pull happens when people gather with open hearts regardless of which side of the prison walls they call home.
The Freedom to Choose Project brings together volunteers and incarcerated participants in a unique educational format that transforms lives through connection, skill-building, and the recognition of our shared humanity. Learn more about volunteering at http://www.FreedomtoChooseProject.org
