Every part of The Side Door traces back to one belief, forged in an Oregon prison cell: that no door is ever truly the last one.
Brett Hollins, Founder
In 2017, Brett Hollins was sentenced to nearly six years in prison. What could have been the end of his story became its turning point. Inside, he discovered that sport and education could do what punishment never had — give him back a sense of who he was.
In 2021, after serving nearly four years, his sentence was commuted. He went on to captain the basketball team at Southern Oregon University and graduate in 2025 — living proof of the transformation he now builds for others.
He saw peers just as capable of redemption — but without the support. So he set out to bridge that gap.
Brett noticed that many of the people around him had the same potential he did, yet lacked access to the rehabilitative opportunities that changed his life. The Side Door exists to close that gap, bringing purpose, structure, and belief to the people the system too often forgets.
A long sentence in Oregon's state prisons, the moment most stories are told to end.
Inside the walls, Brett finds the tools that begin to rewrite his identity and his future.
In 2021 his sentence is commuted after nearly four years served.
He earns a place, and the leadership of, the basketball team at Southern Oregon University.
Brett founds The Side Door to bring that same transformation to others still inside.
Today the work spans Florida, Oregon, and Washington, with three more states inviting us in.
Built from lived experience
It carries both grit and optimism. It challenges stigma while staying grounded in the communities it serves. From correctional institutions to athletic spaces to community events, the name stands for one idea: there is always another way forward.