The odds were solidly stacked against Wayne Chance when he founded Vision on Mission (VOM) a quarter-century ago. He was still incarcerated but as he proved by the life of service and activism he lived after his release, prison bars did not hinder his passionate pursuit of a vision of establishing an organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation and reintegration into society of ex-prisoners and deportees.
By the exemplary life he lived after completing his prison sentence, Mr Chance defied the odds, including a recidivism rate of 74 per cent which results in most ex-offenders returning to prison. On the occasions that Mr Chance did return to jail, it was not as an offender but as an activist and advocate to establish VOM programmes. He lobbied long and hard for the human rights of inmates to be respected and demonstrated through his success as a husband, father and director of one of the country's best known non-governmental organisations (NGO) how possible it is to shift gears, change course and embark on a positive mission.
Many were the obstacles he faced and overcame over the years, the most monumental of which was stigma and discrimination. Doors were closed in his face as he struggled to register VOM because civil society groups and private-sector organisations were not convinced that an ex-offender was capable of spearheading such an innovative rehabilitation effort.
Over and over, Mr Chance proved his detractors wrong. His breakthrough came when Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, then the Attorney General, latched on to the vision and provided tangible support to VOM.
Even after that, there were many hurdles along the way for Mr Chance and the members of his team but VOM now stands as testimony to his remarkable accomplishments, achieved with a passion and persistence well worth emulating.
Wayne Chance personified restorative justice, a concept that was widely misunderstood and rejected until he made it his mission. His unique approach to prisoner reform changed the way the authorities and the wider public viewed rehabilitation and paved the way for the healing and accountability that are at the heart of that system.
Thanks to his efforts, a transformation is taking place in T&T's criminal justice infrastructure which is beginning to evolve from punitive to non-adversarial and non-retributive.
Through Mr Chance's VOM, hundreds of ex-offenders have had genuine opportunities to reintegrate and resettle into society and contribute to building healthier, safer communities.
Guardian Media joins the nation in mourning the loss of this giant of a man and offers condolences to his widow, children, his VOM family and all the people involved in restorative justice in this country who are now left to deal with the void created by his death.
Wayne Chance now takes his place among the pantheon of national heroes no longer with us who dedicated their lives to making T&T a better place. May he rest in eternal peace.