The Story of a Second Chance
“I grew up in Chicago, Illinois as a son of a pastor and had a pretty good life. I fell in with the wrong crowd and I made some choices that negatively affected my future. A couple of years ago I was at a party with the wrong crowd and gunfire erupted. I watched my best friend get gunned down right beside me and die as I held on to him. I knew at that time that something had to change. I moved to Charlotte to get away from those influences and found the Urban League. I was doing great, attending classes to get my GED, but on a holiday visit to Chicago, I met up with my old crew. I fell into my old ways with that crew and was subsequently arrested and incarcerated for over a year.\
When I was finally released, the first call I made was to the Urban League in Charlotte. I had been out of jail for less than a week when I came back to Charlotte, visited the Urban League and they signed me up for the HVAC class on the spot. The staff was so invested in my success that I was able to begin class immediately and four months later – graduated with my EPA section 608 certification.
The Urban League gave me a second chance, even a third chance at getting it right. I’m glad to say that I’m an Urban League graduate!”
