When a caterpillar enters its chrysalis stage, it begins to transform from an immature, inactive larva into a beaming butterfly. Myron Tobin, a 57-year-old South Central native, entered his chrysalis stage in 2013 when he was released from prison after 33 years.
Tobin recalls experiencing Los Angeles, and all of society, for the first time in over three decades. “I was scared. I came out and I had to make a lot of decisions and choices; I had to go through scratches, through trial and error. It was overwhelming. I learned to ask for help.”
With the support of his parole officers, counselors, psychologists and CLARE — an organization that prevents addiction through low-cost treatment and sober living — Tobin was able to break out of his protective shell.
Though Tobin is grateful for the guidance he received from all these individuals, he owes everything that he is today to Chrysalis. Chrysalis, with its three offices located in downtown (Skid Row), Santa Monica and the San Fernando Valley, is a nonprofit that creates a pathway to self-sufficiency for homeless, low-income individuals and the formerly incarcerated by preparing, finding and retaining employment for its clients.
According to its president-CEO Mark Loranger, Chrysalis’ success is measured in two ways: the number of people who get a job, and the number of people who have kept the job for at least half a year. “Based on the data we collect, over 70 percent of our clients are still working at the six-month mark,” Loranger says.
Tobin is one of thousands of clients who have found success through Chrysalis. This year, his story was so powerful and so exemplary that Tobin was presented with the 2018 John Dillon Award at Chrysalis’ 17th annual, celebrity-studded Butterfly Ball. Named for Chrysalis’ founder, the award “celebrates the journey and accomplishments of a client who overcame their barriers and obtained employment. This individual represents over 2,300 clients who, with the help of Chrysalis, will realize their dream,” the organization’s website says.
“I was in shock — a wide range of emotions. It was like I had a dream, and it came true,” Tobin reminisces. “Everybody has been so wonderful to me. I feel like a movie star. Coming from where I come from, just to be in front of an A-list crowd, I was scared; I was excited.”