I love my family. But I was failing them. I wanted some quick money, and I got mixed up in illegal drug activity. I hurt everyone I loved – including me. It cost me a lot, 26 months in federal prison. But more than that, it cost me my ability to work. When I got out, no one would hire someone with a felony record. Every job I applied for said no, even if I was the best-qualified guy.
Tag: People with Criminal Backgrounds
Career and Financial Advice for July 2016
The Goodwill blog’s career and financial advice posts have all moved to GoodProspects®, but you can still get great advice on your job search, learn about career fields and connect with virtual career mentors. Here are some recent articles published this month—read each piece, share your thoughts, and join GoodProspects to take advantage of everything at Goodwill’s online career navigation portal!
My Story: Dammond Devon Steen, Jr.
Eventually, raising four kids became too much for my 19-year-old mom, and I landed in foster care. Even then, I did okay in school. I was on track to graduate. But that never happened. I got into a fight at school – with a police officer. I was arrested. If I would have stopped for one second to think about it, I wouldn’t have gone to jail, but I didn’t think. I acted. The result was a year in prison. Adult prison, not 'juvie'.
My Story: Angelo Pegeuese
My name is Angelo Pegeuese. I was born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC. I was a troubled teenage boy who was raised by a single mother. I started getting into trouble with the law at the age of 14 and in 2005, when I was 18, I was convicted of multiple offenses and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Those had to be the toughest years of my life.
Education, Poverty Alleviation Among Key Themes in State of the Union Address
President Obama delivered his final State of the Union (SOTU) address this week and as expected, he did not put forth an aggressive policy agenda for his last year of office. However, the President did touch upon a number of specific areas of interest to Goodwill® and the people we serve.
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My Story: Justin Hon
Justin Hon was able to use his self-presentation skills in conjunction with additional job training from Goodwill Industries of Southern Oregon (Medford) to find work after facing challenges related to his criminal history. As a result of his job placement, he is now able to be more involved in the lives of his children. Read more and watch as he shares his journey to self-sufficiency.
My Story: Tina Bouatic
At age 14, my parents got divorced. They were both drinking and fighting a lot. I started hanging with the wrong crowd. I started cutting school, cutting classes and began to smoke cigarettes. Eventually, while doing drugs and drinking – I went out, stayed out late. I basically stopped going to school. I got pregnant.
Congress is Back in Session and Already Behind in Assignments
Congress returned from their annual summer break in August and found themselves already behind in their homework. Awaiting completion are the FY 2016 appropriations bills, though Congress will likely need a short term continuing resolution to complete that assignment. Also due is a vote on the Iran agreement, the debt ceiling, highway bill reauthorization and funding, and finding bridge funding for the SSDI program whose trust fund runs dry in a year.
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Urge Congress to Support the Second Chance Reauthorization Act
I visited the Hudson County Jail in northern New Jersey. Twenty years later, I can still vividly remember the rhythmic sound of sturdy locks opening, followed by heavy doors slamming shut, and then the locks swinging back home. It was a deafening and consistent reminder to the residents of that institution that they were “inmates” who were very, very bad.
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Macon Goodwill Recognized by GA Department of Corrections
Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA (Macon) recently was honored as the only non-law enforcement agency named by the Georgia Department of Corrections as a partner agency of the year. The GDC recently announced the awards during the 11th Annual GDC Awards ceremony at Tift College in Forsyth, GA.
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