Rachel Lawler

I am thrilled to have landed at the Burlington CJC. My passion and drive have always been to support those who are suffering due to the imperfections in our systems. Since moving to Vermont in 2003, my journey to support the human beings involved in these systems brought me to work in “The Box” - solitary confinement at New York City’s Rikers Island and at Angola death row in Louisiana, to traveling around the country with the Journey of Hope – an organization that brings together death row exonerees, family members of murder victims, and family members of those incarcerated on death row who share their stories of loss and healing. Most recently I served for five and a half years on the front lines of mental health and social service crisis work in Chittenden County as the supervisor of Community Outreach.

I believe we all can play a part in building and healing our community towards being a place that recognizes the shared humanity all of us.

As a person in recovery, I wake up every morning grateful for the opportunity to have a second chance at life and grateful for the ability to use my second chance to give back to the community. I love animals (but not eating them), spicy food, and singing while I drive.