AllMovie

This made-for-cable drama is based on the true story of Marilyn Gambrell, a former parole officer determined to give the children of habitual criminals the opportunity to live the decent and worthwhile life that had been denied their parents. Jamie Gertz stars as Gambrell, who has signed on a social worker at Houston's Smiley High School, where virtually every one of the students has a least one parent in prison. Inaugurating a "No More Victims" program, Gambrell and her colleague Perry Beasley (Ernie Hudson) dedicate themselves to mentor those students at highest risk of following the same crooked paths as their parents. Unfortunately, the school's budget has been stretched to the breaking point--and Gambrell and Beasley have been given only one year to prove that their program can be successful. When originally telecast by the Lifetime channel on August 22, 2005, Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story was followed by a specially filmed public service announcement featuring both Jamie Gertz and the real Marilyn Gambrell.