2022 Success Story: George Tucker
On Saturday, April 30th at 10am, we invite you to join us at the iconic Apollo Theater for our 2022 Graduation Ceremony. George is one of over 200 men we will celebrate for securing housing, obtaining employment, and earning professional certifications.
Dr. King said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
The men who join Ready, Willing & Able know well what it means to endure in the face of adversity.
George grew up in the projects, and though his family did everything they could, the barriers were too great to escape poverty. To help them pay for food and clothes, George turned to the only opportunity available to him: dealing drugs. Before long, he was using them himself.
George was in and out of prison ever since he was a teenager. In 2011, he had a realization: enough was enough and that I need help.
“I sat in my cell and said, ‘Mr. Tucker, you need to get your life together or you’re going to be in prison for the rest of your life.’ So I started humbling myself and started going back to school,” George said. “I took therapeutic programs while incarcerated, and it seemed like everything was starting to feel good. I’m starting to know better, so I’m starting to do better.”
While incarcerated, he came across a flyer from The Doe Fund and knew that’s where he needed to be. For seven years, he wrote Ready, Willing & Able expressing his interest in joining. Every time, he was reassured that there was a place waiting for him and told to come as soon as he was released.
On March 18, 2020, George was released to a world turned upside-down by the pandemic. But that didn’t deter him from joining The Doe Fund. He immediately took advantage of everything the program had to offer, especially the financial management classes and support services. ” never completed anything in my life,” George said, “so I told myself that I was going to take advantage of this program. There was no turning back.”
For George, the highlight of Ready, Willing & Able was mock interviews during the Career Success Strategies course. His teacher, Joseph Calhoun, prepared him for interviews by sharing tips on how to better articulate, feel relaxed, and answer questions. “I told him I never had a job interview in my life. The only interview I’ve had is in court, with a judge, pleading for my life, but never pleading for a job,” he said.
Calhoun told him to stop by his office so that they could pick out a suit. George chose one that fit him perfectly, not knowing the suits were donated by Alex Trebek’s family or that he would soon be featured all over the news.
From there, things only got better for George. He found a place of his own, and started working as a cook. Now, he’s a proud 2022 graduate.
“This graduation really means something to me because I’m finally completing something. It’s big and overwhelming —I’m a citizen now,” said George. “I never thought something like this would happen to me in a million years. If you add up all the time I was incarcerated, you could say I did 30 years. Then I came home to this program. With open arms, they said ‘Mr. Tucker, this is what we have for you.'”
George is a prime example of the efficacy of Ready, Willing & Able and the transformational power of opportunity. After seizing those opportunities, George has gained the experience and confidence he needed to continue thriving. “I want people to know where I came from and where I am now,” he said. “I’ve been incarcerated for most of my life, and here I am, graduating from a program. I want to give someone else a chance to say, ‘Well, if Mr. Tucker did it, then I can do it.'”
The Doe Fund will always be there for George. “The thing about The Doe Fund is that it’s a family,” he told us. “Once you graduate, you’re always welcome back. The door is always open, and I know that I’ll always have a pillow to rest my head on.”
