Kaitlin Vanderpool was at a low point when she entered the Hamilton County Jail. She’d been convicted of her third drunken driving offense and was sentenced in May to three months in jail and two years probation.
“It was my first incarceration, I was lost, directionless,” Vanderpool, 36, said. “I knew I had to do something different with my life so this never happens again.”
She spotted a paper flyer at the jail, something about entrepreneurial program for female inmates run by Butler University staff and interns. She signed up for the inaugural class.
Now, Vanderpool is out of jail and running her own fledgling business, called Kiki’s Collections, making scarves and clothing accessories for babies and pets.
“It saved my life,” said Vanderpool, who has been sober eight months. “I now wake up each day knowing I have something to get done.”