Success is a way of life at a New Way of Life

Welcome back!

Here is a story from Susan Burton, Executive Director of A New Way of Life Re-entry Project

"We are very proud of the accomplishments of one of our residents. Theresa came to live at A New Way of Life about eight months ago. She immediately regained custody of her son who is now three years old, and she and her son are both popular residents around the house. Theresa was determined to get her life back together after being released from prison, but had little skills or knowledge in how to make this happen.

"One major challenge for her was finding steady employment. She persisted for over six weeks to find a job, but repeatedly encountered discrimination from employers who were unwilling to hire someone who had checked “the box” marking the applicant as a convicted felon. Finally, Susan introduced her to a colleague who directs a community-based library with a progressive social agenda. He agreed to hire Theresa as an intern. After only two months, he was so impressed with Theresa’s dedication to the job and to the organization, he hired her as a part-time staff member (Theresa is also a part-time student at a local college).

"Theresa has now been working at the her new employer for several months and has been learning about the prisoners’ rights movement. This woman who once had no idea that people and organizations existed who cared about the rights of people like herself has now become a determined community advocate. Theresa is the type of client who epitomizes what A New Way of Life is all about.

If you have a story about your organization or the clients you serve and are part of the Capacity Partnership Project let me know and I will post it here. Your ideas matter here! Please leave a comment.