Mr. Hodges made a decision years ago that he wasn't going to continue being part of certain living conditions in his community. As a child it was rough for Mr Hodges in his neighborhood he had to fight almost everyday just walking to school, "gang members will rob you for your backpack, take your lunch money, take your new sneakers off your feet" Mr Hodges said.
Mr. Hodges graduated from high school, he applied for a job with the County maintenance department, he was eighteen at the time, it took him two years to get that county maintenance job, although he did some odd jobs in-between to earn money until the County job opened which it finally did. (Mr. Hodges moved out the hood)
Ten years later Mr. Hodges became the director over the County maintenance department which he was in charge of "hiring and firing". Mr Hodges wanted to give back to his community by hiring some young men in his old community to give them the same opportunity he had.
The old neighborhood hasn't changed much, the gang problem gotten worse Mr. Hodges went to the community youth center where he use to play basketball in the gym, he picked out ten young men ages 21-25 offered them a position to work with the county as street maintenance workers, job pay starts off at $17 Dollars per hour.
Out of the ten young men Mr. Hodges picked, only three decided to leave the gang life and become productive working citizens, the other seven said "you making us soft, we're about that street life keeping sh*****t real, we make more money selling weed on the block than working some job"
Mr Hodges trained the three young men who did decide to go which those three young men end up being some great workers, they all eventually bought houses, got married, had children, became some very mature hard working men.
As life went on those three young men (who use to be gang members) also went back into their community to give other young men the opportunity to work and get out of the street life.
Life is what we make it, you can either stay in that same position, (going nowhere) or better your life by making the right decisions to move on to bigger and better things in life. IT'S YOUR CHOICE.
Mr. Hodges graduated from high school, he applied for a job with the County maintenance department, he was eighteen at the time, it took him two years to get that county maintenance job, although he did some odd jobs in-between to earn money until the County job opened which it finally did. (Mr. Hodges moved out the hood)
Ten years later Mr. Hodges became the director over the County maintenance department which he was in charge of "hiring and firing". Mr Hodges wanted to give back to his community by hiring some young men in his old community to give them the same opportunity he had.
The old neighborhood hasn't changed much, the gang problem gotten worse Mr. Hodges went to the community youth center where he use to play basketball in the gym, he picked out ten young men ages 21-25 offered them a position to work with the county as street maintenance workers, job pay starts off at $17 Dollars per hour.
Out of the ten young men Mr. Hodges picked, only three decided to leave the gang life and become productive working citizens, the other seven said "you making us soft, we're about that street life keeping sh*****t real, we make more money selling weed on the block than working some job"
Mr Hodges trained the three young men who did decide to go which those three young men end up being some great workers, they all eventually bought houses, got married, had children, became some very mature hard working men.
As life went on those three young men (who use to be gang members) also went back into their community to give other young men the opportunity to work and get out of the street life.
Life is what we make it, you can either stay in that same position, (going nowhere) or better your life by making the right decisions to move on to bigger and better things in life. IT'S YOUR CHOICE.
