Here’s an excerpt from Elvin’s success story:.
Shakia showed me there’s more to life than running around and hurting people. I’m glad that I gave the PhiladelphiaCeaseFire program a chance to work. Most people say programs don’t work. But less than a year ago, I was a young man with no goals, no dreams, and just wanting to go back to what was easy. Now I’m a full-time worker at Burger King, I live in a two bedroom apartment and have been home from state prison nearly a year. I’ve been meeting all of my goals and doing things I never thought possible until I met Shakia. I hope my story will inspire other young men and women coming home from prison, feeling there is no one to turn to. Meeting Shakia changed my life. The Philadelphia CeaseFire program helped me change the way I think, because before getting involved with the program I did not care if I lived or died.