Climbing the Mountain
/Jason Butler, owner of Recovery Road Productions, has raised over $70,000 for local charities
By Dr. Jenny McCormack Walker
Jason Butler paused for a second to reflect on his experience and then said, “The beautiful thing about life is that you can wake up tomorrow and start over brand new.” Nobody understands that sentiment more than him. Several wrong turns put Jason on a path that took him to places he never should have been. However, through faith, a passion for service, and hard work, he was able to reroute those wrong turns and navigate a new journey of purpose.
photo by shane darby.
“A few years ago, I considered myself a well-traveled drunk,” Jason said. “I always had friends who were musicians, and I’d go around with them while they were playing in different venues.”
But the fun didn’t last. He began to suffer from alcohol and drug addiction, which put a strain on his family; his children struggled to have a relationship with him.
“My daughter was so ashamed of me,” Jason recalled. “She wanted to change her last name so she didn’t have to be associated with me anymore. That was a really low point.”
In 2021, Jason was arrested and placed in a local correctional facility, where he served a six-month sentence. It was there that he began to turn his life around with the help of Artie West, a volunteer who worked the Monday-night church call. Jason began to build a friendship with Artie, who ultimately became his substance-use accountability partner once Jason was released in January 2022.
Part of Jason’s mission now is to educate people about the dehumanization of incarceration and the challenges of reentering society after being released from prison.
“In the correctional system, a lot of times you don’t get treated like a real person,” Jason said. “You’re just an ID number that represents someone who made a mistake. Everything was so black-and-white. But when I got involved with [Communities Unlimited Community Facilitator] DeAnna O’Malley and the Prison Reentry Simulator, we were able to show people the importance of having gray areas.”
The Prison Reentry Simulator is an experience that allows people the opportunity to walk around in the shoes of people who have been recently released from incarceration. Participants face hypothetical challenges like homelessness, not having a driver’s license, attending court-ordered support group meetings, and finding employment with a criminal history.
“It’s a great way for people who have never been in the prison system to see things from the other side of the desk,” Jason said. “It is a lot harder than people might realize.”
Jason, who has given talks and interviews about his experiences, said that he does not mind sharing about the challenging parts of his past because he hopes that, in sharing, he might bring positive change for others.
“God has a plan for everything,” he said. “I hope that my testimony and my story can be the words that help people stop carrying the mountain and start climbing it.”
Participating in the Prison Reentry Simulator is not the only way Jason has given back. His production company, Recovery Road Productions, combines his love of live music with his love of the community. They produce live-music events that raise money for local nonprofits. Jason said that, in 2023, Recovery Road Productions planned and executed 16 live-music events with local artists and raised more than $70,000 for non-profit organizations in the Texarkana region.
Photo by toabi’s world photography.
“There are so many amazing people in this area,” Jason said. “When you surround yourself with amazing people, amazing things will happen. We spend so much time pointing out all of the negative things around us, but if we stop to really look at the big picture, there is some really good stuff happening in Texarkana.”
Once notorious for his addiction, Jason has now become well-recognized in the community for his work. “Everywhere we go, people always stop and talk to me, and one day my son asked me if I was famous,” Jason laughed. “I just told him that I wasn’t famous, but what we are doing to help the community might be famous.”
“When you surround yourself with amazing people, amazing things will happen.”
Jason’s children now live with him full-time. In August 2022, eight months after he was released from prison, Jason’s ex-wife and the mother of his children was tragically killed in a car accident.
“I became a single dad in the worst way possible,” he said. “My kids came to live with me, and we were not prepared in any way.”
He and his children have persevered, he said, with the support of his community. “People stepped up to help in ways I still cannot comprehend,” he said. “Our community—Hooks ISD, especially—just took care of us.”
That August was the only time his sobriety has been tested, he said.
“I drove to the liquor store,” he recalled. “I sat in the parking lot for a while. Then I told myself, ‘This is not who I am anymore,’ and I thought about Jeremiah 29:11 [“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ said the Lord . . .”] , and I knew I had a future and a hope ahead of me.”
Jason and his girlfriend Carla with Santa Mark. submitted photo.
In the time since the accident, Jason has been able to heal his relationships with his children. This is what brings him the most joy.
“A lot of people tell me they’re proud of me,” Jason said. “I appreciate that, and it means a lot, but I mainly care about the people I feed. As long as they’re proud of me, I know I am good.”