A Colorado volunteer reflects on transformation, connection, and the power of bearing witness
When Deanne Drda first watched a documentary about The Freedom to Choose Project (FTC), she wasn’t thinking about barbed wire or security checkpoints. She wasn’t calculating the logistics of traveling from Colorado to California. Something else entirely captured her attention.
“I saw a human experience,” she says simply.
That was 2009. Sixteen years and 37 workshops later, Deanne continues to fly in from Colorado on her own dime to volunteer inside California’s state prisons. Her commitment has never wavered. If anything, it has deepened.
A Call She Couldn’t Ignore
Deanne discovered FTC while completing her master’s program at the University of Santa Monica. Our co-founder Dr. Bonnie Paul happened to be her faculty advisor. After seeing the documentary, Deanne told Bonnie it looked meaningful, that she felt drawn to participate.
“She basically rolled out the red carpet,” Deanne recalls.
Many people might have hesitated at the idea of entering a maximum security prison. Deanne kept waiting for that fear to arrive.
“I kept kind of anticipating that information to land on me,” she says. “And then in the middle of the workshop, I thought how interesting. I never really felt that feeling that one’s brain would think one would feel.”
Instead of fear, she found something unexpected: love.
“The love was so present and so powerful and so reflected back throughout the experience.”
What Keeps Her Coming Back
After 16 years, most people would understand if Deanne scaled back. Instead, she schedules her life around these workshops.
“It’s the loving community,” she says without hesitation. “It’s always an opportunity to reflect. It’s always an opportunity to deepen into my own loving, into my own heart, and to experience that with others.”
She describes watching participants arrive carrying heavy beliefs about themselves, stories they’ve absorbed over years or decades. Then something shifts.
“To see others maybe who aren’t feeling that way in the moment or didn’t necessarily bring that feeling into the room to have them catch it and to realize that whatever the misbelief that they had about themselves that they picked up along the way, it actually isn’t true.”
That moment when it lands. That’s what she shows up for.
Witnessing Transformation
Over her years with us, Deanne has witnessed remarkable changes. She was there during the transformation of Valley State Prison for women. She watched the environment shift. She saw people she never expected to walk free leave prison and rebuild their lives.
Some of those people have returned as volunteers.
“That just makes it even more special,” Deanne says. “I don’t know that we could have imagined that part in the way that it happened.”
The ripple effects have touched her own life, too. Inspired by her work with FTC, Deanne began exploring how to bring similar programming to Colorado. She now works in restorative justice, advocating for heart-centered approaches to healing.
The Power of Bearing Witness
What makes FTC different from other programs? Deanne points to the trio methodology, where participants practice truly listening to one another and reflecting back on what they’ve heard.
“Sitting in a restorative justice circle, for example, has power and presence,” she acknowledges. “But it kind of misses that element we have in a trio of reflecting what I heard you say, of really bearing witness for one another’s stories.”
There’s something powerful, she says, about being seen. About having someone hold space for your story without judgment or advice.
“There’s some magic in there.”
Your Invitation
For over 20 years, we have relied on volunteers like Deanne to bring this work to life inside California’s prisons. They come from all walks of life, all corners of the country. What they share is a willingness to show up, to listen, and to see the humanity in everyone they meet.
Deanne’s advice is simple: say yes.
If you’re curious about volunteering with us, we’d love to hear from you. No experience is required. Just an open heart and a willingness to be present.
[Learn more about becoming a volunteer →] https://freedomtochooseproject.org/volunteer/
