CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — For two years, the Nueces County Juvenile Justice Volunteers have worked to help kids and teens behind bars who have been physically marked by their bleak past. President Becky Mohat said they wanted to implement a tattoo removal program but never had enough money.
"We had some kids that desperately wanted their tattoo removed because once they were released they were gonna have to go back to their same neighborhood and be targetted by those same gangs," Mohat said.
After years of fundraising and sharing their mission, the group finally has enough money to purchase the removal equipment and implement the program. Mohat said this is thanks to Sheriff JC Hooper who recently donated $5,000.
"He said, 'this money was used for death and destruction and our organization will be used for restoration and healing,'" Mohat said.
The money that Sheriff Hooper donated was confiscated drug money.
Mohat said there's another donor who has made a huge contribution, but they aren't ready to be identified. The machine the NCJJV will purchase is the AW3 Flash Ink-ND Laser System; a less painful and easier removal process than prior equipment.
"Our vision is to help these kids have a second chance at life by removing those visible tattoos that most employers would not hire anyone with that visible tattoo," Mohat said.
In the beginning stages, the NCJJV will offer the program to the kids and teens who are inside of the juvenile detention center in Nueces County. Mohat said anyone who has a trafficking-related tattoo will automatically qualify for removal. The others will have to successfully complete a 10-week program.
"We have developed a program that they will be required to go through because we need to know that they're really serious," Mohat said.
According to Mohat, it's their way of physically removing the harsh reminder of a kid's troubled past from their body, so they can move on and start a new chapter of their life.
"These are kids that are just broken, they've just really had a tough time and so we want to remove those reminders," Mohat said.
Mohat and the volunteers will order the machine soon. They have a medical team who will offer their services and assist in the removal, although anyone can go through training to remove tattoos with the AW3 Flash Ink ND Laser System. NCJJV said they will determine where the equipment is stored soon as well as finalizing the 10-week program curriculum.