James Cunningham of Gurnee made some unwise decisions in his younger years, resulting in arrests for selling drugs. After receiving probation twice, he was charged with delivery of a controlled substance and was faced with another decision.
Given the choice of 120 days in a boot camp or eight years in prison, Cunningham said he did not have to think twice about the decision — boot camp,
If any doubt lingered about what Cunningham would do when he left boot camp, his waiting time between sentencing and arriving at boot camp cemented his choice. He lived in a cell at the Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet until there was time for him at the camp.
“I spent 23 hours a day on lockdown,” Cunningham said. “It took me away from my family, my mother. I had three kids. It really put the fear in me. I wasn’t going to do anything that would take away my freedom again.”
Since leaving the boot camp 30 years ago, Cunningham, now 54, said he works primarily in customer service jobs helping people. He said he has received promotions and commendations. He is working toward another goal.
Cunningham, Vanessa Alexander and Marcelo Avelar received awards as Repatriates of the Year at the 23rd annual Waukegan Township Coalition to Reduce Recidivism awards luncheon on Oct. 16 at the Patricia Jones Center in Waukegan for the productive lives they now lead.
Filling the room were people from organizations who helped those who came out of the criminal justice system, as counselors or lawyers who worked to get criminal records expunged, along with the beneficiaries of those efforts.
Waukegan Township Supervisor Marc Jones said the event is held every year “because it is a celebration of the transformative power of second chances.” The coalition includes people and organizations who help individuals through their journey.
“The Coalition to Reduce Recidivism is comprised of individuals and organizations who share one unwavering belief — that a person’s past absolutely does not define their future,” said Jones, who often remarks, “a conviction doesn’t mean a life sentence.”
Though it takes “immense courage” to move from a life of unwise decisions to selecting productive choices, Jones said the individual does not have to do it alone because “sustainable change is never a solitary journey.
“It requires a network of support to open doors, create real opportunities, and walk alongside those who are rebuilding their lives,” he said. “When we invest in redemption, we don’t just uplift individuals; we strengthen families and build safer, more vibrant communities for us all.”
Helping Cunningham through his journey, which he said is not yet complete, are Stephen Miller and the lawyers at Coalition Legal. The organization provides free legal services to help people expunge their criminal records. Miller received the Justinian of the Year award.
Cunningham said after years of customer service work, he will soon start school to earn his commercial driver’s license. Once his record is expunged, he can take the test and receive a license to become a truck driver.
Though she was never sentenced to prison, Alexander said she was in the legal system 10 times during her younger days. She knew she had to modify her lifestyle and moved to Waukegan 28 years ago.
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“I had to make a change and do something different for my children,” she said. “I went into a treatment program and saw the people there. If they can do it, I knew I could do it.”
Now a grandmother and great-grandmother, Alexander eventually moved into the corporate sector but five years ago went to work for the Legacy Reentry Foundation in Waukegan, helping others overcome the decisions that put them in the criminal justice system.
Avelar grew up in Round Lake Beach and said he first used marijuana when he was 8, and got deeper into drugs, eventually selling narcotics as well as being a user. Charged with home invasion at 16, he was sentenced to eight years in prison as an adult, starting his sentence at age 17.
Released in 2023, Avelar went to work in his father’s roofing business. He said he also found a home at church, deepening his faith. Meaning was missing from his life until he was introduced to Hope Center in Lake Zurich, he said.
Now living in Gurnee with his wife and children, Avelar helps young people coming out of prison both emotionally and economically by guiding them toward needed resources. He also founded the Boys to Men mentorship program.
“I talk to them about hope and redemption,” Avelar said. “I work with people as young as the fifth grade. It feels awesome when I help others.”
Other award winners included both Youth Build Lake County and the Youth Conservation Corps as Service Organizations of the Year; Baxter Credit Union received the Financial Empowerment Award; Employee Connections, Inc., as well as Goodwill of Chicago and Milwaukee, were named Employers of the Year. Stella Jones was Volunteer of the Year.
Receiving special recognition for a lifetime of work and service were U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Chicago, and Mary Roberson, founder of the Waukegan-based Northern Illinois Recovery Community Organization (NIRCO).