Carlos Jones came home from a two year stint in the state prison in 2014 and knew he needed to start looking for a better future for himself. “I wrote out a plan because a person gets sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Carlos said on Bold TV on March 3. That was when he made his way to The Doe Fund, a program that offers opportunities to individuals who are homeless and/or formerly incarcerated.
Founder of The Doe Fund George McDonald believes in the “paid transitional work” system that empowers individuals to be ready, willing and able to make a future for themselves. George and Carlos discussed the New York City based program with Carrie Sheffield and Clay Aiken, explaining that those in the program are paid for the work they do and get to choose what they put that money toward.
“They take advantage of the opportunity presented to them and that’s the key,” George said.
George started this program in 1990. “The experts” told him that paying formerly incarcerated persons would just allow them to spend the money on drugs, but he believes in paying people for their work and trusting that the positive culture will help people set bigger goals for their life. To keep people accountable, they drug test twice a week.
George said that The Doe Fund has helped tens of thousands of men. They currently have 450 employees, one of which is Carlos. “They walk the walk,” George said. “It’s organically [that] the organization has grown.”
“You might have seen the ‘men in blue,'” Carrie said. “They’re cleaning our streets. They’re investing. One consistent theme they all say is ‘I used to go run around these streets and really wreak havoc. Now as a thank you, I am coming back, I am cleaning the streets and making the city a better place.'”
The Doe Fund runs off of revenue-generated work and are up for hire by private citizens. One-third of their revenue is from government support and another third is from generous individuals. Read more about this wonderful organization on OpportunityLives.com. You can donate to The Doe Fund or hire here.
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Gloone
March 3, 2017 at 8:47 pm
Fact: People will spend more on their pet, whether its a dog or cat, than they will on their child’s upbringing.