Born into an Air Force family, Kevin Charles Roland was a world traveler before he was even old enough to know what drugs and alcohol were. At age 8, the family moved to Los Angeles, California from Sumter, South Carolina.   Kevin tried marijuana for the first time when he was only 9.   Not long after that, he began sneaking into bars when his parents weren’t around.  At age 17, Kevin tried PCP for the first time and was hooked.

Although he was never involved in gangs, in 1982 when Kevin was just 22 years old, he was involved in a shootout that left one person dead.  The shooting developed from a man saying racist comments to Kevin and his friends.  Kevin was arrested and convicted of 2^nd-degree murder. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. While incarcerated, drugs and alcohol were easily accessible.  However, Kevin made the decision to never drink alcohol or do drugs again so that he could prepare for his return to society one day.

Kevin was released from Prison in 2012 and began attending school at Intercoast College, studying for his Drug & Alcohol Counselor Certificate.   Soon after,  he became an intern at a sober living facility and made such an impact that they wanted to hire him on full time.  Unfortunately, because he was still on probation, Kevin was denied the position.  That obstacle didn’t cause Kevin to lose hope or his determination to find a job.  When an advocate from The Midnight Mission visited Intercoast College in search of someone to fill an open position in our Healthy Living Program,   Kevin’s name was given, along with an excellent referral.  On 12/2/13 Kevin was hired on as part of The Midnight Mission staff and has been here ever since.  We are thankful to have Kevin as a member of our Midnight Mission family.

“The Midnight Mission changed my life in many ways.   I had a lot of growing up to do.  Everyone here has given me an opportunity that no one else would. It gave me the chance to see what TMM does from the bottom up.  They offer the participants an opportunity to look into themselves and find out more about who they are and work on their education and job skills.  They help them to not just better themselves, but to be better for their family, their mates and their children.  It takes a lot of hard work, but it’ll be worth it in the end.  It’s a really giving environment from the top all the way down.  They really care about people.” – Kevin Roland, Healthy Living Advocate, The Midnight Mission