A willingness to grow and a determination to succeed

Prince came home from prison in February of 2017. He had just finished serving a 21-year sentence. During his incarceration, he decided enough is enough. He voluntarily participated in institution programming to enhance his understanding of the world today. National data says that Prince had a 66% chance of being rearrested within the first three years he was home. He was determined to do whatever he could to not become another statistic. While incarcerated, he worked various jobs throughout his entire prison term, even though he was only making 42 cents an hour. He was motivated to learn and to stay busy acquiring new skills in work and in life. Upon his release, he carried that same work ethic and obtained employment within a few weeks of release. To his credit, he did not let that stop the rigors and challenges of cognitive change. Prince’s weekly appointments with his case manager are a central part of his self-care and opportunity to grow. Learning to live with newfound freedoms is a challenge all long term prisoners face! This was made more difficult by living in a severely under furnished home with not enough money to make real change. Feather-a-Nest, a local non-profit, stepped in and fully furnished and staged his apartment. Prince has learned to reach out when he needs help and takes his freedom very seriously. Since his release he also worked diligently on furthering his education in business management. In 2018, he also began working on obtaining his CDL through a program at the Workforce Development Center. After a few “bumps in the road”, he is now comfortable behind the wheel and gainfully employed at Jeff’s Fast Freight as a line haul driver. Most recently, he became a homeowner. His ability to remain positive and humble throughout his transition has made it easy to work with him. His attitude and willingness to change have made it possible for him to take the necessary steps to stay out of prison. We are excited to see what the future brings for him and look forward to being a part of the next phase of his life.