Ravens Legend Ray Lewis Starts Job Training Company For Convicted Felons
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- For some, getting and keeping a job can be a difficult task, but Ravens legend Ray Lewis has started a company to train people to get and hold onto a good job.
Power 52 was started by Lewis, though about 70 percent of their graduates have convictions holding them back.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity Power 52 is providing me with. Like i said, it's a great opportunity for guys with a bad background," said trainee Emmanuel Davis, who spent 30 days in jail.
"You know, opportunities look grim when you have that on your record. Power 52 has given me the opportunity to do something with my life," said Jason Lowry, who spent 12 years in state prison.
Once trained, hired and on the job, there is a sense of gratefulness.
"These are people who are normal everyday people as anyone else, they just have some blemishes in their past and we've all had those one way or the next," Power 52 leader Dennis Mason said. "We're just giving them the opportunity to move forward in the future to do bigger and brighter things with their future rather than their past."
Graduate Shannon Johnson, who has a clean record, just wanted joined Power 52 to get a better job.
"I know that the solar industry is up and coming, and so that's what made me decide to go this route," Johnson said.
Panels installed by workers will power Living Classrooms buildings.
"This program is a godsend, it really is," Lowry said.
The next class for Power 52 begins a the end of May.
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