The Garden Welcomes Guest Montez Day

October 11, 2022

Montez Day, Our Guest Oct 23

On Sunday, October 23, The Garden welcomes Montez Day, who will share some of his story and his passion for service.


Montez was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He grew up in South Central Los Angeles and was involved in criminal activities from the age of 14 years. He was in and out of prison from the age of 18 years old. At the age of 28 (January 1999), Montez made the biggest mistake of his life and committed a crime that landed him back in federal prison for 24 years. While in prison Montez worked on his own post-rehabilitation. Montez worked in the education department teaching other inmates how to read and other subjects like Psychology and Black History. He also gained a college degree from Indiana State University while incarcerated. After serving 20 years and 6 months in prison, he was released in July 2019. He re-entered society with a drive and passion to help others. This new example that he is becoming he believes can be a model for young men and women who grow up in poverty, violence, criminal activities, and negative thinking patterns. Montez is filled with optimism and continues to contribute to the community. During the last 15 years of his life, he has been goal-orientated. Montez shares what he has learned over the years with others who are reentering society and struggling to stay out of the justice system, overcoming homelessness, and working towards a better future for their families. He is not afraid of challenges, or work. Montez worked two jobs upon release from prison. He worked with Youth, at Youth Advocate Programs helping and advocating for teenagers on probation. He also worked as a Mentor Match Manager for Trusted Mentors by training volunteers and connecting people struggling with homelessness with Trained Mentors. Montez also shares his story about his life before, during, and after incarceration through Storytellers Arts of Indiana and continues to encourage others to get involved in reentry as he works now for Goodwill as a Reentry Program Facilitator. He teaches men and women soft skills while providing employment through Goodwill and wrap-around services to assist those who have been touched by the justice system. Montez is poised to do even more in the community to help women and men who are faced with the trials of having a conviction and trying to reenter society. He is a Motivational speaker and reentry advocate who works in the community with others who have a desire to help those who are following the same path that he once traveled.

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Mother Love, Mother Loss

By Joy Dyer, MSW, LCSW • August 10, 2026
The relationship we have with our mothers is one of the most meaningful in our lives. Sometimes sweet, sometimes difficult…or worse…but always full of complexity. And researchers have determined that this most significant of relationships actually begins in the womb. It’s the template where we first learn about love, whether we were fortunate to have loving mothers, or mothers who sadly were unable to love us as we needed and deserved. This primal, intense relationship continues throughout our lives, influencing and shaping who we become and how we relate to others as we journey through on our own paths. Is it any wonder then that the death of our mothers is one of the most impactful losses that we will experience? And yet, even after her death, it’s possible to have a continuing conversation and relationship with her…with her gifts and her flaws…that allows for connection and the possibility of repair and forgiveness. This Sunday, please join us as we explore the joys, sorrows, and possibilities of the eternal bond between mother and child. Joy Dyer, MSW, LCSW, brings 37 years of clinical social work experience, including work in end-of-life care and advanced bereavement training. She specializes in grief in all its forms. Joy returns to The Garden on Thursday, September 3 for Debunking the Myths of Grief.

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