ROOTS 2EMPOWER

Roots 2 Empower, which is a small business and agriculture training program for formerly justice-involved people. The story of my brother who served 5 years in prison during the 1990s is the catalyst for the creation of Roots 2Empower. Prior to my brother's incarceration, he had taken classes in construction at a vocational school. After he completed his sentence, he was unable to find employment in the construction field. He wanted to change his life around and so with the help of myself, who co-signed for his first truck, and his wife, he was able to start his company, which has been thriving ever since, employing people with the same lived experience. Our goal is to use agriculture as the apparatus to teach entrepreneurship with the aim of developing entrepreneurs in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors for formerly justice-involved individuals. In addition, we know the barriers that will impede growth, so we will provide, financial literacy, mentorship, basic needs, etc to increase participant success.