Team player
Marin City community leader helps people in court and on the court
It's no surprise that Darrell Roary, who grew up watching his parents open their Marin City home to people in need, would follow a compassionate path. A leader in the community he still lives in, Roary assists others get their lives back on track through his work as a case manager for the Marin County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services with Marin's public defender's office.
A registered alcohol drug technician, Roary utilizes his “toolbox of good, bad and ugly” life experiences, as well as the leadership and teamwork-building skills he gleaned from coaching sports and working as a basketball referee and baseball umpire. He was inducted into the Marin Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame in 2018.
Q
Sports have always played a big role in your life. Tell me about that.
A
I had a dream of becoming a professional baseball player. I played baseball, basketball and football at Tam High School. I played football and baseball at College of Marin and baseball at Pierce College in Washington. Then I played semi-pro baseball and football. I always had the support of my family. My mom is one of my biggest supporters.
Q
How did you transition into jobs and other opportunities that helped people?
A
I see it as my second act. I had my daughter, Kenya, in my late 20s. Her mom died when she was 6, so I became a single father. That was another reason for me to get serious with what I was doing and to take care of her, provide for her and be the best dad I could be. I was doing a little coaching, working in the car business as well as doing some stuff with community events. People started to see the potential in me. When the crash hit in 2008,
the dealership closed and I was like, OK, what do I do? That's when I got approached by one of the community leaders and started to do outreach work with the Phoenix Project of Marin, helping young people in the community get their lives back on track. I got a job with the continuation high school in Marin and that's where things really started to take off. It was eye-opening to see some of the things these teenagers had gone through, trauma and group homes. It become a passion to help these young men and women and believe in them.
Q
How does it feel to give back to your community?
A
A lot of people know me from when I was younger and they say, “That's so cool what you do.” I am always trying to let people know that I'm a safe place to come to. Trust
and credibility are very important in the work we do. A lot of people have been burned and exposed in the past. Your word is everything.
Q What pushes you forward in your work? A
When I see former students or clients I worked with in the past and they say, “Thank you for helping me.” There's no better feeling. Most of the time when a person is suffering they just need someone to believe in them.
Q
What do you want to see more of?
A
We need more diversity, inclusion and equality in this county and across this country. And we need others to step up and give back. It feels good to help someone. Try to give back, whether it's in the community you live in or a disadvantaged one.