Testimonials by Participants

To The Men and Women of Purpose, Terminal One, and the Laborers’ Union:
My sincere gratitude to The Men and Women of Purpose; Terminal One and the Laborers’ Union for their generosity, affording me entry into Laborers’ Local Union #324 as a member in good standing. I’d like to also express my appreciation to Mr. Antwon Cloird, who counseled me and helped navigate my way to the better place I am at today.

I’ve been arrested, in jail, and on drugs living a life destructive to others and myself for most of my adult life. I’ve only held miscellaneous jobs when I worked. Your confidence and generosity has afforded me an opportunity to work a union job and enjoy the advantages and benefits the union offers.  I look forward to building on the foundation your organization has provided. Thank you very, very much.

To The Men and Women of Purpose, Terminal One, and the Laborers’ Union:

Please accept my appreciation for the financial assistance I received to become a member in Laborers’ Local 324. I am an ex-convict and former gang member from the Iron Triangle of Richmond. Your support has provided an opportunity for me to have the security of a union job with benefits.

This, along with the mentoring I’ve received from Antwon Cloird, has been invaluable. He has counseled me on the attributes of hard work and success, and I look forward to putting those principles into practice in my own life.

       I Carey Hardamon, found myself in the county jail in the year of 2013 facing felony charges. While I was incarcerated I took the time to attend Men and Women of Purpose groups, where I found myself doing a lot for self-identifying of wrong thinking patterns, and behaviors that were not normal for a positive lifestyle. I worked diligently at changing myself to become a better me. It was not an easy job for me because I have lived this abnormal lifestyle that cost me so much of my freedom and harmed me mentally and spiritually. I continued to progress in the groups each week, to the point where I completed all the curriculum of the course. At that point, I continued to come to class each week, learned from the instructors, and others who shared in the group. I became open and was always willing to share any part of my story to help the person gain a better point of view of themselves.

                At this period of time, I became one of the longest attending men of the group. I had shared with the group that I went to college, and studied for classes that were needed to work in this field before I turned to a life of crime. And while attending groups, my desire to return to college had returned. I did not have the opportunity in jail to build my skills, but I continued to work on myself. Men and Women of Purpose gave me the chance to facilitate groups and create my own curriculum, which allowed me to continue to help others and work on my skillset for this field of work. Doing this kept me focused on my path of growth that I needed to improve myself. I worked and attended groups until I was transferred to state prison. And once I was released from prison, on my first day home as I walked up to the gate of my home, there was a card in the gate from Men and Women of Purpose. I immediately called and got involved with the agency again, and soon was working a part-time job which Men and Women of Purpose helped me to be placed at. After working there for a while, I made the wrong choice in life and ended back in jail. Once getting out I was really focused on doing the right things in life, so I returned to college and finished the Spirit Program and a clinical class where I was informed to work with the Men and Women of Purpose once again. I jumped at the opportunity because I had so much success with the agency.

                After completing my clinical hours there, I was offered a paid internship there to come in two days a week, but what I was learning interested me so much that I came three days a week, and I was getting that real support on a daily basis which helped me stay focused. After a little over a year, I became an employee of Men and Women of Purpose and continued on this rich path of success that the agency had always directed me in.

       My name is Harold K. and I am a recovering addict. I grew up and was raised in the Richmond area and I ran the streets pretty hard using every drug out there. That life was normal for me. The lifestyle of crime led me to places I thought was cool at the time.  Jail after jail, prison after prison. Later I just couldn’t get my life together. I put myself in these places, and I’ve served a lot of time in my life I can’t get back. I never wanted to stop using drugs, I just didn’t want the consequence of losing any more of my life. Something needed to change but I just couldn’t stop.

            I’ve been in some programs, learned some things, and I always had good intentions of changing my life and behaviors but couldn’t do it. It didn’t matter to me. I did whatever I wanted, and I hurt my family and everyone around me, but most of all, I hurt myself. This last time being out, I was digging myself another big hole and I couldn’t get out. I was facing some charges that was going to send me back to prison. CPS entered my life and they took my daughter away from me and I still couldn’t stop running the streets. On June 17^th, 2013 I was arrested facing 12 years. I was in the jail holding cell and I started praying. I asked to please show me and guide me because I couldn’t do this on my own. The next day in jail I was introduced to the Men and Women Purpose Program. My thinking started changing then my life started to change. I didn’t go back to prison, I completed the Men and Women of Purpose Program in jail, and on the street. I also completed several other programs.

            The program saved my life and it gave me a foundation. Today I have 6 years, 7 months, and 14 days clean. I am also active in the NA program every day. I’ve lost some things since I’ve been here including my daughter. She got adopted out, my family members died, and I’ve been homeless in my recovery but I’ve worked through it and I’ve stayed clean. Today I own my own business, I have two little boys and I’m in their life. I do this life one day at a time. I’m a walking miracle. I only have one recovery and this is it. God bless.

            When we want the truth, we can be prone to bracing ourselves for what we might find or discover. Despite the popular saying, truth needn’t always hurt. We should always be grateful for the truth and embrace it, regardless of how much it might differ from what we expected. As a particular truth emerges in an area of your world, you’d be wise to accept it, regardless of how it sheds a very different light on the matter you believed you had the full measure of.