Every day, participants walk through the doors of Samaritan Ministry with a goal: achieving and building a better future for themselves and their families. Mr. Timothy Tyler is one of those participants. The oldest of five kids, he spent his childhood in and out of foster care; and his adulthood in and out of the prison system.
After seeing his two younger brothers graduate from the STRIVE job training program in 2016 and gain employment, Timothy met with our caseworkers at the Skyland Workforce Center (SWC), determined to begin turning his life around. Timothy would do this three times — going back to prison and the halfway house — before getting cleaned. Despite his missteps, our SWC team was with him at every step of the way, urging him on.
Finally, in July 2017 Timothy successfully joined his brothers and graduated from the STRIVE training program and, equally important, played leadership roles in the process. With the help of our Job Developer, Timothy secured a job with Canada Dry where he works today. To quote his teacher, Deirdre Duffy, “He was determined to succeed despite the obstacles that life put in his way”.