It wasn’t the derision of avid University of Colorado football fans who blamed her for being a whistle- blower during a recruiting scandal that broke Pasha Cowan.
It was missing her son’s school award ceremony.
“I was so depressed and so low, I hadn’t checked the mail, and we missed the invitation,” Cowan, a single mother, recalled of last spring. “I was sobbing in my bathroom, saying, ‘I can’t do this anymore.”‘
“This” was working in the sex industry, something Cowan, now 36, had tried to put behind her until the bills became too much to handle.
“I was having to work on the side and hating myself for it,” said the former madam of an escort service who testified during the CU-Boulder recruiting scandal that she had been paid to provide prostitutes for athletes.
Then a friend told her about Street’s Hope, a faith-based nonprofit organization in Denver that helps women who work in the sex-for-sale industry leave that lifestyle.
“I started over at Street’s Hope,” Cowan said.
After she stepped forward about the CU scandal shortly after Christmas 2003, Cowan became a witness in the ensuing grand-jury investigation in February 2004.
Her name was released to the media, as were mug shots from previous arrests, although Cowan’s only conviction stems from a 1998 traffic charge.
“I was trying very hard to lead a normal life and get a regular job,” Cowan said, “and it was impossible at that time.”
She lost three jobs in a row after bosses became aware of her history. She moved twice. Someone painted “whore” on her car, which was then repossessed. The backlash affected every aspect of her life.
So she returned to the easy money she had known, until Street’s Hope helped her quit.
“They asked, ‘Why would you go see a client?’ and I said, ‘Because my electricity bill is overdue, and it’s being shut off.’ They called Xcel Energy right then and there, paid my bill and had me sit in their office so I wouldn’t go to the gig,” Cowan recalled.
The staff at Street’s Hope told Cowan that she could no longer work in the industry if she wanted to be in their program. While they watched, she deleted all the numbers of clients from her cellphone.
“Pasha, she’s had a terrible time of it, but she is truly motivated,” said Leanne Downing, Street’s Hope executive director. “She just needs support.”
So Downing and the rest of the staff took her under their wing.
They loaned her a car, gave her clothing to wear. Helped her with food, therapy, job training and even the removal of a “devil girl” tattoo Cowan once sported on her calf.
“As she fades, it’s very symbolic for me,” she said.
Others have noticed the changes.
“Her life is different than it was a year ago. She’s come a long way,” said Deb Adkisson, Cowan’s mentor through Street’s Hope. “I have a lot of respect for her. I find myself humbled by her – what she’s going through and yet her tenacity to make changes for her and her son.”
For her part, Cowan is grateful.
“It’s a whole new community and support network where I don’t have to feel ashamed or embarrassed,” she said of Street’s Hope. “Financially, things are more of a struggle, but I’m more present for my child. … I don’t jump every time the phone rings.”
Despite her struggles, Cowan viewed the well-paid departure of former CU football coach Gary Barnett, who recently accepted a multimillion-dollar settlement to leave after a losing season, with humor.
“They said it was because of his coaching, and that’s all fine and well,” Cowan said of Barnett’s removal, “but 3 million is a bit much. Maybe he should throw some of that to a nonprofit agency.”
Street’s Hope can be reached at 303-433-2712.
Staff writer Amy Herdy can be reached at 303-820-1752 or aherdy@denverpost.com.
