WORK & REENTRY

LIVED EXPERIENCE MATTERS.

When I first came home, I lived in a shelter. I knew shelters exited. I had heard about them. But that is not experience. During my time in the shelter, I learned a lot about being homeless and about nonprofits in Cleveland. This has given me a special connection to people and a knowledge of when and where resources are needed - I do know what people go through, because I went through it. Everybody can feel that they go through things by

themselves. That no one knows what they are facing. That is where experience comes in - and why stories matter. When we see ourselves in each other, no one is alone.

I AM LIVING PROOF THAT YOU CAN COME FROM NOTHING AND BE SOMETHING.

I am a product of the foster care system, and I raised my children as a single Mom. I faced obstacles and I found resources. Now I get to tell how I did it. My life experience proves that things can get better, that you have choices. After 10 years in one career, I left on my own terms, in good standing. I wanted to find something different for the next phase in my life. And I did I remember back to my time at Towards Employment. It was not always easy- I had to learn to be disciplined. I remember some things so well-a staff member always said, "Dress for the job ahead." And I always have.

LaTonya Cliff is a Case Manager at Towards Employment working with young men and women, hoping that they can learn from their experiences and find the strength and connections needed to build a career. She knows firsthand how trauma, violence and abuse can lead to bad decisions and chaos. As she listens to the younger participants and graduates of Towards Employment, her life and career journey provide a foundation she uses to provide council, understanding and inspiration.

Ronnie Cannon is a father, a community leader, a non-profit board member and serves on citywide initiatives. He is committed to making sure fellow Clevelanders know they are greater than their worst action. As a young person, Ronnie made a decision that influenced the trajectory of his life, and this experience continues to shape his actions, to the benefit of many. He came to Towards Employment in 2012 and advanced steadily – he is currently a member of the Towards Employment leadership team, serving as the Senior Manager of Community Engagement.

Alisha Brooks-Hall is standing tall. She is a young mother almost through college, on her way to becoming a social worker. As a graduate of one of the pre-release programs that Towards Employment off ers, she started her second career journey while incarcerated. She did not let grief and loss get the best of her, even though it seemed in initial job searches all she heard was no. Alisha’s goal is to help people returning home from prison to create networks and fi nd resources, so they can find strength to get back up and move forward.

Tracy Patton struggled with a lifetime of addiction. Her experiences battling addiction and returning from incarceration fuel her commitment to community and to other women struggling with addiction. Five years after graduating from Towards Employment and starting a career pathway in hospitality, she found her way to providing direct assistance to women addressing mental health and dependency. She is currently a Substance Use Disorder Counselor, a Quality Mental Health Specialist, a Smoking Cessation Specialist and the founder of Survived To Live For Women In Recovery.

YOU GOT TO FACE IT TO FIX IT.

I come from generational incarceration. My father, my cousins, my sister, my brother. I was mentally incarcerated at 4 years old. I have a master's degree in counselling, I could talk to people about their issues, but the person I needed to talk to was myself. After I got out of  prison I became a general contractor and fashion designer. I did over 900 clothing sketches in prison. I had a prayer: "Father, let there be reconciliation."  My daughters visited me in 2008 when I was incarcerated for the last time. My oldest daughter interrupted me and said, "Dad, we are in prison too. - When there is a father/daughter dance, when you are not there for all the things a child needs a father for because you are in here, then we are in prison too."  My daughters and I have a program - Dad We Are In Prison Too. We give children a chance to talk about family scars and the hurt. This gives children of incarceration an opportunity for healing and reconciliation.

EVERYBODY HAS A STORY TO TELL.

And we don't often look like what we’ve been through. When I was young, I dreamed of becoming a teacher -but that's not me. I started off as a housekeeper at University Hospitals, and I knew I wanted to grow'. I got turned down 60 times for other opportunities. But I got turned down for a reason. When I got accepted as a community health worker, I knew this was the reason. I enjoy helping people, still teaching - but adults. You have to commit to your career growth. You have to be tenacious.

At 16 Jaymone Whitaker did not think his life could include a career. In fact, he almost lost his life in the summer of his sixteenth year. After serving time in the correctional system as a teen, Jaymone thought loss was all life off ered – nothing made him feel alive. But in the middle of an assessment interview at Towards Employment, a case manager seemed to know how he felt – as someone who had been in prison himself. At that point Jaymone realized there could be more to his life. He worked hard to become a Career Coach – “I want to be in a position to have positive impact – so other young adults can avoid the road I had to take.”

MUSICIAN, CREATOR OF MODERN WARRIOR LIVE

“This kid is 360 degrees!”- Quincy Jones

“...a trumpeter of abundant poise.” - The New York Times

Dominick Farinacci is a world-renowned trumpeter with a passion for performing and for integrating the arts into wellness and education. He has released 15 albums internationally, performed in more than 120 cities around the world and received foundation grants to establish arts programs in his native Ohio. He served as Ambassador to Jazz at Lincoln Center in Qatar 2013-2015, working to further integrate music and arts into wellness and education. He organized the very first jazz performance for patients in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic and the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation. Dominick is a frequent speaker on the connection between mental health and music, including doing a TED Talk in 2014 at the Kennedy Center. He serves as Director of the Tri-C JazzFest Academy at the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts at Cuyahoga Community College.

PIANIST, MODERN WARRIOR LIVE CREATIVE COLLABORATOR

Thomas has played in jazz festivals around the world, and has performed with Charles Toliver, Marquis Hill, Bruce Williams, Richie Goods, Jazzmeia Horn, and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, among many others. Thomas graduated from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in 2015 and The Juilliard School in 2019. He has been a student to pianists Aaron Goldberg, Dan Nimmer, Aaron Parks, and Taylor Eigsti. In 2012 he was awarded The ASCAP foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award and hosted a bi-weekly session at Smalls Jazz club from 2015-2019. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, he benefited from the city’s wide range of jazz veterans and swing-rooted tradition. Sonically his sound hearkens to the creative influences he’s adopted. Influences such as Kenny Kirkland, Wynton Kelly, and Mulgrew Miller are apparent muses and thus lend their sound to his style.

DIRECTOR, MODERN WARRIOR LIVE

A prolific theatrical creator with a love for synthesizing experiences by integrating storytelling, technology, multimedia and live performance, Emmett Murphy is the founder of showHive, Inc.

For the past three years, Mr. Murphy has served as the director for Modern Warrior LIVE, overseeing direction, multimedia design and the creative development of the productions which debuted in 2018 at the Sheen Center’s Loreto Theater in New York City. Emmett has written and directed production shows for numerous companies, including Norwegian Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Princess Cruise Lines. He was also the creative producer for the spectacular production of Illusions at Joyland Theme Park near Shanghai, China. Additionally, Mr. Murphy has created and directed multimedia for theatrical productions around the world.