DENVER — From behind bars to driving trucks, a nonprofit is helping people formerly in prison or jail get good-paying jobs by becoming truck drivers despite their criminal backgrounds.
For Jamie Dick, watching a game of football is a reminder of the time he spent on the field as a quarterback. He also worked hard in the classroom, majoring in economics.
"I became a stockbroker. I started with a small regional firm, Edward Jones, out in Arizona, then started my own firm in Las Vegas and was real successful with that," Dick said.
Hearing Dick's story, it seems like he had it all figured out, but then life took a turn for him.
"I got an 18-month sentence, and I spent about eight of that, roughly in Denver County Jail, and then about eight more," Dick said.
While locked up, Dick created a plan to start his own business. Once he left the halfway house, he learned about Emerge Career.
"Emerge Career is an education technology company. It's really focused on providing vocational training and wraparound service support to low-income individuals, in particular, folks who are directly impacted by incarceration," Emerge Career co-founder Zo Orchingwa said.
Since 2022, Emerge Career has helped over 100 people get their CDLs for free by working with local government agencies to train former inmates.
"Everyone deserves a second chance, and because of the social circumstances that we all come from, it'd be unfair to penalize individuals for mistakes that they've made and challenges that they've experienced," Orchingwa said.
Orchingwa hopes to expand the program to more states to help formerly incarcerated people.
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