2022 Success Story: Antwon
On Saturday, April 30th at 10am, we invite you to join us at the iconic Apollo Theater for our 2022 Graduation Ceremony. Antwon is one of over 200 men we will celebrate for securing housing, obtaining employment, and overcoming addiction.
The path to success can be a winding road — full of twists, turns, and detours.
Antwon started on the right path. His mother was his north star, raising him and his six siblings right while keeping them out of trouble on the streets of Atlantic City.
But when his mother passed away in 2018, Antwon turned to opiates to cope with the enormous grief, leading him down a spiral of addiction and incarceration.
It was in a halfway house that he was first introduced to The Doe Fund, thanks to a staff member who was a Ready, Willing & Able graduate. After some self-reflection, Antwon met with his case manager and decided to join the program. “I did time, was now clean, and needed a fresh start. Instead of going back to Atlantic City, I wanted a new opportunity,” he said.
Once in Ready, Willing & Able, Antwon quickly realized that the program was full of just that. He took advantage of the available classes, worked with a tutor, and got his food handling license. “I never believed in myself. I always used to put myself down, but for me to accomplish what I did while I was at The Doe Fund felt so empowering,” he told us.
Antwon attended sobriety support meetings and worked overtime to keep himself focused. “I learned a lot. I didn’t give up,” he said. “I was able to get a place of my own and save up while I was there. I would definitely take my hat off to The Doe Fund.”
After securing housing and overcoming addiction, Antwon had one last hurdle between him and graduation: employment. Thankfully, that too soon fell into place.
Employees of the financial services company MarketAxess had volunteered to conduct mock interviews, a crucial part of our Career Success Strategies course. At the same time, MarketAxess was looking for someone to hire. John Powell, the Director of Career Development and Graduate Services, along with James Murray, a Senior Instructor at The Doe Fund, didn’t hesitate to recommend Antwon.
“It was clear from the beginning that Antwon set very high standards for himself,” said Murray. “He worked extremely hard to problem-solve on his own… He frequently found his way to the solution even if it was frustrating or difficult. Not only did Antwon manage to maintain his employment throughout the duration of the pandemic, he has earned multiple raises, been promoted, and puts in hours of overtime.”
On the weekends, Antwon spends time with his daughter. “With me being back in her life since getting clean and working on myself, I’ve just been building back my relationship with her. It’s wonderful and great. I do the best I can for her,” he said. “She’s so happy to see me. We have a lot of fun, we go out, we talk. She’s so open-minded with me because I let her know whether good or bad, she can talk to me about it. Just don’t lie to me. We’re so close.”
Antwon’s path had no shortage of obstacles. But thanks to Ready, Willing & Able and his own hard work, Antwon is now one of the thousands of graduates we’re so proud to count among our success stories. He has housing, a good job, sobriety, and his confidence back. He is the father he was meant to be. And most of all, he knows that he made his mother proud. “Even though she’s not here anymore,” said Antwon, “she left knowing her son was clean. I told myself that I was going to keep doing that to keep her happy. Thanks to The Doe Fund, that promise has become a reality, and I know she’s smiling down on me and my daughter.”
