G R A C E - Youth Mentoring

03/24/2026

03/23/2026

My name is Jeff Paxton. I am a 56-year-old man serving life without parole. I grew up with low self-esteem issues that drove me to really seek acceptance in all the wrong places. Now along with the self-esteem/image issues, I had a few brothers and sisters that were all older than me and started me using drugs and drinking at a very young age. I was partying heavy at 7-8 years old between that and wanting to be cool and fit in, I was eventually in prison.

I came to prison at 21 years old and came back two more times after that. The final time was over thirty-one years ago. Not long after going to prison I found myself “knee deep” in prison culture, politics and caught up in the violence. I followed the “herd” as most do and ended up in the SHU (solitary confinement) early on and spent a good chunk of my adult life in a cell twenty-three hours a day.

Thirteen years ago, I finally decided to make different choices and take control of my life. I got myself out of all of that and started working on being the best version of myself and it was my best decision to date.

All of that has led me to where I am today. My journey has brought me to where I simply want to live my amends and be the best man I can be. I can think of no honor higher than helping youth understand how important and liberating it is to begin to find their true authentic selves and set goals for themselves early on in life. To let them know that they have a friend in me and that is unconditional!!

And ultimately that “their journey is the one that truly matters!!!

“Great things happen through
Great people,
People are only great when
Determined to be so.”
- Charles DeGaulle

03/23/2026

Hello, my name is Eddie Keller Jr, and I was born in a small mountain town on a small reservation. I’m from the Bishop Paivte Tribe and I was always told to be proud of who I am, where I came from and that for us, family is everything. I’m the youngest in my family with 6 older sisters and I am the only boy.

For as long as I can remember my parents have been addicts. My mom being addicted to m**h and my dad, an alcoholic. Because of their dysfunctions, I grew up poor and surrounded by a lot of negative influences in my home as well as my community. I also witnessed my parents fighting a lot when I was growing up.
Due to the madness at home, I came to have a deep-rooted anger inside that I did not know how to express in a healthy way. My anger got me into trouble at school a lot because I would explode and act out. I started to get suspended from school in the 4th and 5th grade and in 6th grade I got expelled for the first time. I got in trouble with the law for the first time in the 5th grade and I spent pretty much every school year in juvenile hall after that.

My crimes started out small, stealing candy at first and then as I got older and bolder, my crimes got worse. I thought I knew it all when I really didn’t know anything at all, because at the age of 17, I committed murder and was sentenced to life for it. I didn’t like to listen to anyone who was trying to help me, and now I wish I did. I have been in a youth diversion program before to try and help that kid who may me following the same path I was, and that is why I got into G.R.A.C.E. as well. I know how it is to be young and feel like nobody understands what I’m going through, so I hope I can be a positive influence on teens who may feel like that too.

We can all change our lives from the madness they may be, but the only person who can do that is us, we just have to take the first step in the right direction. I want to help guide that first step.

02/01/2026

Words from our new member, Percy to our supporters and followers. Stay focused. Stay positive. Stay grounded. Stay productive.

01/26/2026

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01/20/2026

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01/17/2026

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12/03/2025

12/03/2025

Friends & Families!!!

Here is the link to our Instagram Page as well.

https://www.instagram.com/g.r.a.c.e_cmc?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Have a blessed day.

117 Followers, 126 Following, 23 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from G. R. A. C. E. (.r.a.c.e_cmc)

12/01/2025

Hailsan! My name Shaun T Bennett. I became a member of the GRACE team because today I recognize how the influence of a handful of altruistic individuals had the potential (if I’d been willing to accept it) to help me alter course from the destructive path which would ultimately lead to me serving two life sentences in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation under the Three Strikes Law. It is now my sincere desire to aid today’s youth from ending up on that same path I once tread.

Three areas I am particularly passionate about are:

1) Recovery from Substance Use Disorder (SUD)
2) Su***de Prevention
3) Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

As a youth, as well as an adult, I have struggled with each of these and know all too well the consequences of neglecting to address them. That is why my education has come to include an Associates Degree in Communication (BC, 2024), as well as certifications in the following:

- Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist (SCI, 2024)
- QPR Su***de Prevention Gatekeeper (QPRI, 2025)
- Peer Support Specialist (CALMHSA, 2025)

If you or someone you know needs help in these areas, please reach out.

Lastly, the message I want to leave with today’s young people is this:

YOU MATTER! I don’t know you personally or your immediate circumstances, but as a youth I experienced homelessness, drug addiction, and extreme violence… I have been where you are. So please be safe, make the best decisions you can for yourself, know there is help out there, and trust life does get better.

In Service and Frith, Shaun T. Bennett

12/01/2025

My name is Percy Roberto Sisniega. At 37 years of age, I was sentenced to 23 years for manslaughter and great bodily injury. My emotional ignorance, drug, and alcohol addictions played a huge role on all my lift’s decisions, which I take full accountability and responsibility for. My dysfunctional lifestyle led me to my life crime of taking the life of another human being that God created and critically wounding another person as well.

Please SWIPE ⬅️ to read my story.

06/13/2025

Let’s help him our, sign & share link please:

Why this petition matters: "Clemency for Jeremy Chiu"