Serving all California. Based out of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties.
Opportunity Givers
Are a group of REAL OG's who have been to hell and back. There is a saying that says, "Hurt people, hurt people...but Healed people, Heal people!" These OG's bring healing and HOPE to all they speak to. They will give you the Keys 2 Life that will transform your life.
Meet The Speakers
Danny Contreras
Danny Contreras is a proven leader, credible messenger, and boots-on-the-ground advocate for change. As Health Services Manager for the County of Santa Cruz for the past 9 years, he oversees the award-winning Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program across all county clinics, managing multi-million-dollar grants and driving innovation in addiction care.
With over 30 years of lived expertise, a B.S. in Psychology, and multiple high-honors certifications in drug and alcohol counseling, Danny brings both academic knowledge and real-world experience to the table.
Danny was awarded the 2017 County of Santa Cruz Gold Award, the highest honor within the Health Services Agency, for his leadership in public health. He later received the Barrios Unidos Ernesto Macias Barela Resilience Award, was nominated in 2022 for the County Award of Excellence, and most recently honored with the 2024 Community Impact Award by the Santa Cruz Monterey Medical Foundation for his direct service and community leadership.
“Hurt people hurt people—but healed people heal people.”
Danny embodies that truth, creating space for others to heal, rise, and reclaim their futures.
Sam Cunningham
Sam Cunningham is a husband, father, mentor, and a living testimony to redemption. Born and raised in Los Angeles and now rooted in Seaside & Salinas, Sam served 30 years on a life sentence for a crime he committed at age 21. While incarcerated, he found his calling, helping others avoid the pain and path he once walked.
Today, Sam works as a Reentry Coordinator at Barrios Unidos in Santa Cruz, guiding men and women transitioning from prison back into the community. He also leads a grassroots mentoring program in Seaside called “I Am My Brother’s Keeper,” working closely with youth referred by schools, probation, and the Seaside Police Department, especially those growing up without a positive male role model.
Sam sits on the Executive Board of Partners for Peace and Empathy in Action, where he contributes to marketing efforts and helps shape family centered solutions. His passion is rooted in service: “I’ve dedicated my life so no young man or woman has to experience 30 years in prison like I did and so no mother has to hear that her child has been killed.”
His journey is not just about second chances it’s about purpose. Sam’s story brings healing, inspiration, and truth to every space he enters. He lives by the words of Gandhi:
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Despite his tough exterior, Sam is known for his heart. Whether he’s shooting hoops with local youth, mentoring teens in crisis, or simply being present, Sam leads with compassion.
Mark Escobedo
Mark Escobedo is a shining example of what transformation looks like when mentorship meets opportunity. After serving time in prison, Mark connected with KEYS 2 LIFE, where he was mentored and supported during his reentry journey. He enrolled at Cabrillo College and began rebuilding his life from the inside out.
Mark quickly stepped into service, starting as a Case Manager at the Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center, where his dedication and leadership propelled him into the role of Program Manager, overseeing key programs like Page Smith Community House and the Rebele Family Shelter. Today, Mark works for the County of Santa Cruz as a Community Health Worker with the Homeless Persons Health Project, where he continues to serve those most in need with compassion and lived experience.
For years, Mark has been a dedicated member of the KEYS 2 LIFE team, speaking at school assemblies, leading Joven Noble circles, and mentoring youth through storytelling and truth. His life is rooted in giving back, so others can find a better path—just like he did.
Mark’s story is a reminder that healing is possible, growth is real, and leadership can rise from any place when the right doors are opened.
Joe Price
Joe Price’s journey is one of redemption, resilience, and purpose. Once a superstar athlete at Seaside High and Hartnell College, Joe’s life took a devastating turn as addiction, rooted in deep personal trauma, pulled him away from everything he loved. After the tragic loss of his daughter to violence and the passing of his mother, Joe fell deeper into addiction, eventually landing on the streets of Chinatown in Salinas and later in prison.
But even behind bars, Joe began his comeback. He committed to recovery and started building a new vision for his life. Today, with over 20 years of sobriety, Joe is a respected leader and voice of hope in the recovery community.
In 2015, he was honored with the Robert E. Neff Award for his outstanding service and contributions to recovery efforts throughout the region. Joe continues to share his story to inspire others showing that no matter how far someone falls, healing and transformation are always possible.
Gilbert Bao
Gilbert Bao is a gang expert, powerful speaker, SUD counselor, mental health provider, youth advocate, and gifted artist. He’s committed to gang intervention and prevention by sharing his life story and truth with youth throughout the community.
Gilbert’s impact doesn’t stop at mentorship he’s also a talented muralist and artist, using his creative gifts to inspire, heal, and tell stories that matter. His artwork speaks to struggle, resilience, and cultural pride, often becoming a visual extension of the message he delivers in his outreach.
He co-hosts the “Gray Area” podcast, where raw conversations spark insight, connection, and community growth.
Whether through art, advocacy, or testimony, Gilbert gives youth the truth and the tools to choose a different path and create something real with their lives.
Steven King
Steven King spent years caught in the cycle of incarceration, addiction, and adversity. But through mentorship, deep self-reflection, and relentless determination, he broke free. Today, he celebrates over 18 years of sobriety and 15 years of dedicated community service, and he’s made it his mission to help others do the same.
Steven holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. His lived experience, paired with his professional training, makes him a powerful mentor, counselor, and speaker. Whether in one-on-one sessions, school assemblies, or community outreach events, Steven shows up with authenticity, insight, and unwavering belief in people’s capacity to change.
He is a true Opportunity Giver, someone who helps others break cycles, rebuild their lives, and believe in a future they may not have seen for themselves. Steven walks the path with those he serves, aiming to be the mentor he once needed: strong, steady, and real.
No matter how far you've fallen, a better path is possible and Steven is proof.
Tomas “Wisper” Talamantes
Tomas is a gifted artist and speaker. He has an art program called Teach Peace where teaches life transformational lessons through his art and mural projects to bring about positive change to people and the communit. Tomas provides life coaching and mentors youth in the San Jose Bay Area. To get in contact with Tomas please email him at: wisper.talamantes@gmail.com
Rey Aguilar
Check out Rey's story and go subscribe to his H.O.P.E Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/mx/podcast/h-o-p-e/id1548620955y
Patrick Griffin
Patrick went to prison at 21 years old with a 5 year sentence for 2 accounts of assault with a deadly weapon. Within the first few years of incarceration Patrick got a Life sentence. Patrick had got to the point in his life where he felt hopeless and was in the process of committing suicide when he had a supernatural experience of becoming a Born Again Christian. From that day forward God changed Patricks life drastically to be the man he is today. Patrick was released after serving 40 years. Patrick is now free, married, and living a blessed life. Pat writes books and also writes books for others. If you are interested in getting a book written and published, having him speak to share his testimony, or do a bible study series reach out to Pat at: pgriffinlee1962@gmail.com