A Stronger Family and Steady Career After Prison: Derrick’s Story

A Stronger Family and Steady Career After Prison: Derrick’s Story

06/06/2018

Derrick Grant will be the first to tell you: His life was unmanageable.

Alcohol and anger hindered his ability to connect with his kids. He couldn’t communicate with their mom in productive ways, either. Eventually, he lost his job, then began engaging in destructive behavior that led to incarceration.

While in prison, the downward spiral continued—until he discovered The Fortune Society. The reason is simple: We know that true justice means more than locking people away. It means extending compassion, helping each individual see that their life has value, and that there is more to their story.

All of us are more than our mistakes. Help individuals with just involvement realize that—.

Upon release, Derrick immediately enrolled in our programs. In Family Services, he learned new ways of approaching challenging conversations with loved ones. The lessons learned forever altered his approach to fatherhood:

“We learned a lot in Family Services. [It] actually made me a better father as a whole. My communication was real bad before I started Fortune. I used to yell a lot. [But Fortune] gave me more of an initiative to look at myself and deal with things in a better manner when it comes to my kid’s mom.”

 

Daily, he saw the impact of skillful communication—of staying calm and giving others an opportunity to be heard. makes these powerful revelations possible.

Months after he first walked through our doors, through group discussion and one-on-one counseling, Derrick’s life is on a steady path of success. He’s the dad his kids need, and the family member others see to diffuse situations. Plus, through our Employment Services program, he learned vital skills that helped him secure not one, but two jobs:

“…a lot of people think that there’s just one way of getting a job and it’s really not. [Through mock interviewing,] we were seeing ourselves [and] the mistakes we made,” he notes, “…it was very, very helpful because you get the chance to correct your mistakes. It was very intense. [The Fortune staff] really wanted us to get it right.”

 

Derrick is but one example of the transformative work we do. Others still need us, but we can only reach them with your help.

, and give more individuals with justice involvement hope.


*Written by Root Stitches LLC

CATEGORIES:
TAGS:
Share this Event
Back
NEED SERVICES?
Learn how Fortune Society can help you