Boca Raton nonprofit Her Second Chance provides paid employment and support for women in recovery

Women in recovery face employment barriers due to criminal records, and this program provides paid work experience and community connection to support their reintegration and financial self-sufficiency.

• •Her Second Chance is a Boca Raton-based nonprofit social enterprise that offers paid employment to women in recovery.
• •The organization employs program participants for a duration of one year to help them gain skills and income.
• •Participants create products such as beaded bracelets and customized mugs, which are sold to the public.
• •Profits from product sales are reinvested into the organization to support its ongoing mission.
• •According to the organization, every mug sold generates 22 minutes of paid work.
• •Founder Keely Copeland established the organization drawing from her own past experience overcoming alcohol addiction and facing employment hurdles due to a criminal record.
• •Participant Christina Betrus joined the program through a connection at her recovery residence and has been sober for nine months.
• •Board member Sarah Lucas, who holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and has been sober for nearly 19 years, emphasizes that community orders are essential to sustaining the organization's existence and growth.
• •Her Second Chance scheduled an open house event for Thursday, November 12, to showcase a new product line.