Springfield nonprofit 'Why Not Mindset' helps ex-convicts with reentry

Rustin Pangburn was waiting at a bus stop in Forrest City, Arkansas, in August 2010, owning nothing but a white T-shirt and gray Russell Athletic sweatpants. He had spent the previous five years in prison on a felony drug trafficking charge. There, he learned the true meaning of life.

As the Greyhound bus transported him to Little Rock, Arkansas, and then across state lines to Springfield, only one thing was on his mind: "Why not?" Why not rebound from a massive mistake and make something out of himself? Why not live an honest life going forward? Why not take full opportunity of a second chance?

That's exactly what he did. Sixteen years later, he has founded the Why Not Mindset, a nonprofit organization that aims to help released prisoners coming off a lengthy sentence become reacclimated to the real world and take advantage of the opportunity to build back their lives.

"I'm redefining what second chances are," Pangburn said. "I'm busting down barriers."

While incarcerated, Pangburn lost more than 300 pounds, going from 486 pounds to 189 points. Every day, he walked and played chess. Symbolically, it was a way to keep moving forward, advancing one piece at a time to reach the end goal.

"You're in an environment where you've been kicked out of the world," he said.

His reentry life began as a telemarketer. From there, he switched to a laundryman at a nursing home and then a janitor. And because the residents and staff at the nursing home loved Pangburn so much, they helped him become a Certified Nursing Assistant, or CNA.

A few years ago, Pangburn, a truck driver as well, went to Little Rock to deliver some trucking equipment and planned to take the Greyhound bus back. As he got to the bus stop, he saw two men sporting the same clothes at the same bus stop he stood at in 2010 after being released from prison. He introduced himself and described the déjà vu moment.

"I knew their stance. I knew they were scared. I knew what was going on in the minds," Pangburn said. "[I] didn't know what I was doing, just let them know it's out there - a second chance is possible. It worked for me. I'm not an exception to the rule. If I can do it, so can you."

He stayed in touch with the two men afterwards. One spent four years as a truck driver and purchased a house, the other got married and has kids. With Pangburn's guidance and support, they pushed past the initial stages of world reentry and turned their lives around.

That lit a flame in Pangburn to continue his services. The Why Not Mindset began in May 2025, and became an official nonprofit organization within six months of its startup. So far, he's helped four people get back on their feet.

The mission of the Why Not Mindset is to help return citizens to halfway homes, partner with companies who hire felons to help them secure jobs within the first two or three weeks, and motivate his clients to push past the initial 90-day period that Pangburn calls the "hardest stage" of reentry.

"I'm not going to hold your hand, but I'm going to hold you steady for that first 90 days," he said. "And after 90 days, I believe, with my experience, if you can get past that 90-day threshold, you can make it."

He's also made appearances at prisons across the state to speak to inmates, held lectures at colleges, and used live-streams as a way to reach people not only in the U.S. but in different countries. The United Kingdom, Australia, and Uganda have streamed his events.

Pangburn's future plans consist of owning his own set of halfway homes, working with at least 25 new clients within the next calendar year, and starting up Why Not Mindset programs in other states.

"It's for women that are tired of that cycle, that doesn't believe that they're even worthy of change. For the men that are getting out tomorrow that doesn't believe change is possible," Pangburn said. "That they believe that it's for the people that the system has given up on. But we won't.

"I'm just one story but imagine what could happen if we could combine lived experience with professional community support? We could give the purpose a platform, and that's what I'm trying to do."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield nonprofit 'Why Not Mindset' helps ex-convicts with reentry

Reporting by Chris Meglio, Springfield News-Leader / Springfield News-Leader

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 4:04 AM.