She feels called to help people through the most difficult situations in life, including prison, addiction recovery, and hospitalization.

Carla’s parents had a profound influence on her life. Her father was a quiet man who grew up picking cotton in Arkansas with his father, a preacher. He went on to serve as a boom operator in the Air Force, a career that took him around the world. Carla gets her gift of gab from her mother, a social person who loved reading about psychology and medicine. Both parents instilled in Carla the importance of being well-rounded and signed her up for many extracurricular activities at her private school.

Carla had a 25-year career as a social worker in the Washtenaw County Sherriff’s Office. During these busy years she somehow also found time to raise a son and work part time at Dawn Farms, a substance abuse rehabilitation center.

Carla was drawn to Circles because “I love to connect with people. So Circles was just a match.’”

Circles is held every Tuesday night at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church on Washtenaw Ave, across the parking lot from the county jail where Carla was long employed. When she walks out of St. Luke’s after Circles and sees her old place of work, she says “It makes me feel like the success of my life was intentional. That there was a purpose, that it was all connected.”

Relationships mean everything to Carla. “If you’ve got toxic people around you, you can take on their ways without even knowing it. So, you have to be extremely diligent and selective when you decide who’s taking this ride with you,” she reflects.

Welcome to the team, Carla!

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