Calvin Woodland

I intuitively know that if it had not been for Second Genesis I would be spending the rest of my life in jail or dead.

Speech Excerpted from the 2007 Second Genesis Gala:

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Calvin Woodland and I am the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff in the office of Ward One Councilmember, Jim Graham … however that’s not where I started out … and that’s not why I’m here.

I’m here to represent those thousands of individuals who have been blessed to find Second Genesis. If I were to cover my entire story … actually if I were to simply review my arrest record … I would be standing up here for quite a while. I won’t do that, however. I’ll get right to the point.

I grew up in Washington, DC. I was a tough kid. My dad was a boxer and so I decided I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Mind you, I didn’t like boxing … but I loved the pretty robes and the nice gloves and boots … and especially the attention.

All of that is a distant memory now. I started drinking at the age of 12 and drugs followed soon after that. I became a father at 17 and celebrated my 18th birthday with my first arrest.

From early on I couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to do an honest days work for an honest days pay. I thought losers did that. For me it was all about becoming the meanest and most successful drug dealer I knew … and I knew lots of them.

For awhile I managed to keep myself fairly presentable. My clothes were clean, my hair was cut. But like everything else, those habits stopped as I made PCP and crack cocaine use my main focus in life on a daily basis.

For me it was all about becoming the meanest and most successful drug dealer I knew.

Over twelve years I was arrested 16 times and have racked up 37 criminal charges. Every time I walked out of Lorton … sober and in good physical shape … I vowed to start over. What that meant was this: I wouldn’t use drugs … I would just sell them.

That plan didn’t work out however and every time, in a matter of weeks, I was using again and worse than ever. I ran and ran and ran. But I could never get away from myself … the criminal, the con artist, the addict.

That changed when I was “sentenced” to the Second Genesis Drug Treatment Facility. Although it was called a sentence at the time … it was actually the greatest blessing of my life. I will never forget or minimize the impact that Second Genesis has had on me.

It’s where I grew up.
It’s where I learned the definition of responsibility and accountability.
And today I am able to show up … to be a real father, a husband, a worker among workers as I enjoy a wonderful career in city government.

And I intuitively know that if it had not been for Second Genesis I would be spending the rest of my life in jail or dead. And I thank this amazing organization for allowing me to build a life beyond my wildest dreams.