For years, the annual holiday transformation of the Washington Governor’s Mansion has been orchestrated by a talented group of women from the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW) horticulture program. They meticulously craft handmade wreaths, arrangements, and garlands, a tradition that showcases their passion for horticulture and skill of decorating.
This year, the decorating crew featured a powerful addition: two women, Alexia Devlin and Ladarion Roberts, returned not from the prison gates, but from the community, having earned work release and were granted special permission to participate one last time.
Another previously incarcerated guest, Buffy Henson, now employed by Correctional Industries, also provided a hand in decorating.
These women were so proud to come back and work the program one more time to provide hope for those still incarcerated.
The WCCW horticulture program, in partnership with Olympic College, is a one-year certified course that earns students 55 college credits. Participants are equipped with professional grade skills that translate directly into the workforce. This academic foundation ensures that when the women are decorating the mansion, they are applying a years’ worth of technical training in plant science and design.
For Ladarion, the idea of returning after starting her work release was initially a "random, joking kind of ask." Having spent nearly nine years inside, the prospect of stepping out into the real world was already a shock. When she found out she would miss the decorating event due to her early release through a new initiative, she pressed her case: she was still technically incarcerated, still living in DOC supervision, so why couldn't she return?
The answer lay in the impact the program had on her. After sharing how much this program had meant for them, their Horticulture Professor, Ed Tharp, suggested they make the request with leadership at work release and special permission was granted.
The anticipation wasn’t just about the tinsel and lights. “Last night, I was sitting giddy in bed, not just because I was coming back to the Governor’s Mansion,” says Ladarion. “But to be able to see all of my friends that I left behind in prison.”
It was a bittersweet reunion and a chance to stand with her former peers to show them the tangible rewards of dedication.
What it represents to her is the power of possibility. Now on a different path, she and Alexia are no longer just participants; they are examples. “What a way to go out with a bang is being able to show these women here that success is possible,” she affirmed. “They can see from the example that Alexia and I are going through, and it’s something to be an example and we’re blazing a trail here. That is what’s important.”
As the women hung the final decorations, this year’s project was proof of effective rehabilitation. The women from WCCW bring beauty to the Governor’s Mansion, but the women on work release bring the most important decoration of all: change, transition, and a successful journey home.
