The Best Gift of All: A Second Chance

Most of us who messed up when we were teenagers didn’t wind up in prison.  Instead, we went on to learn how to make a living, prepare for a career, make connections, find a job, be coached by a mentor, balance risks and rewards, maybe fall in love and create a stable family life among supportive friends and neighbors.

But those who did become incarcerated spent months or years going nowhere.  They spent soul-crushing days at menial, repetitive, distasteful tasks with maybe a few hours for recreation, TV, reading, or educational courses if any were available.  They learned to survive, but with precious little preparation for life as “productive citizens.” 

When incarcerated people have served their time and are eventually released – when they are ushered out of prison gates and onto the streets – many are unprepared and without resources.  They have no place to live, no money, no job, and no car. They have no driver’s license, identity, or credibility.  No training or experience to interest potential employers.  And maybe not even anyone to meet them at the gate.

The one thing they do have is something they don’t want – a “record.”   It makes them instantly suspect in the minds of many potential employers, and guilty until proven innocent.  Without a real job and a paycheck, they are instantly at risk.  They need all the help they can get to avoid returning to prison and to become contributing members of the community.

That is why WorkWell was created.  It is a community of peers and helpers, to support and prepare these individuals for life as it might have been — and still can be.  “We look at each other like we’re family”, said one participant.  These words are echoed by staff members and volunteers.  The WorkWell community is love in action, working together to bring out the best in each participant on their own terms. 

Launched in Mercer County in 2018 to equip returning citizens with life skills, job skills, dignity, and hope, WorkWell’s core program is a month-long, five day a week intensive training program led by a team of professionals and volunteers.  It begins with a fast-track orientation and training program, supplemented with wraparound support and follow-up services.  This equips participants with the tools and relationships that citizens who were never incarcerated may take for granted. 

A growing number of employers are finding that WorkWell graduates have learned both life lessons and the new skills that equip them to perform admirably in their jobs.

People come to WorkWell in many ways: through prison administrators, NJ Department of Corrections or other state programs, WorkWell’s outreach or website (workwellpartnership.org), or simply word-of-mouth.  To be eligible, applicants must be clean from substance abuse, be available to participate five days a week during the month-long program, and plan to reside in Mercer County.   They must also exhibit the commitment and determination required to complete training.  There is no fee for those who enroll.  In fact, they receive free lunches throughout the program and bus passes to and from training.  

Participants are part of a “cohort” of 8-15 others who will be their classmates and peer support group for the month of classes and consultations.

The training program includes expert coaching in job-skills, one-on-one and group mentorship, job-search techniques and tools, practice for job interviews, and instruction on writing job applications and resumes.  Equal emphasis is placed on interpersonal skills and best practices for keeping a job.  Participants are coached about being on time, eager to learn, paying attention to detail, completing assignments, and demonstrating reliability in all things. 

Volunteers from the community serve as mentors to participants, sharing their perspective and experience.  On two Saturdays, they meet with individual participants one-to-one to offer support for anything from reviewing a participant’s resume or application, to sharing life lessons learned and ideas for job search after graduation.

During and after training, participants benefit from wraparound support from WorkWell’s manager of social services.  That help may include untangling red tape and facilitating case-management, securing proper ID, or referral and application for services such as health insurance, SNAP, utility assistance, and free tax preparation.

The course is demanding.  Participants must be on time every day, attend five days a week, and complete all assignments.  It’s tough work, and one graduate gratefully recalled, “They don’t ever let you doubt yourself.”   Still, for a variety of reasons, about forty percent of each cohort doesn’t graduate.  Some leave early for the best reason – a job offer – which is the hoped-for result of graduation in the first place.  However, a few unfortunately slip back into prior addictions or behaviors.   And some find that, despite their determination, five days a week of intensive training is simply more than they are prepared to manage yet.  Still others live out of reach of public transportation.  Without a car or a driver’s license, it is too difficult to consistently show up on time.  

But that majority who do achieve graduation have demonstrated qualities that make them very attractive to the growing number of employers who take pride in hiring “second-chance” employees.  They have found that whatever enabled these graduates to withstand the withering demands of imprisonment, successfully attain release, and then complete the WorkWell program, now empowers them to perform well and cooperate with others as employees.  This can be a real win-win for the employer and employee. 

And the need is great.  More than 78 million Americans have a criminal record.  That’s a quarter of the entire U.S. population.  In a hypercompetitive economy, where companies struggle to identify strong candidates at all levels of their operations, employers are increasingly grateful to discover qualified talent in this huge segment of the U.S. population.

In 2025 alone, some 47 WorkWell graduates found stable and satisfying jobs with employers in Mercer County.  Hiring companies include UPS (nine hires from WorkWell), Trane, Sodexo, Macy’s, Jersey Precast, Home Depot, and Chipotle, as well as local nursing homes and retail establishments. 

One WorkWell participant who graduated in February was hired right away by Home Depot to drive a forklift.  He says that while in prison he attended mandatory programs on anger management and resocialization but, “It was kind of like the instructors was pushing us along, because I’m a convicted felon, so it was something I had to do,” he recalled.   “It was different with WorkWell. It really felt passionate, right from the heart,” he said.  “I’ve never seen a program that’s really passionate about getting people on the right track.”  

Since its founding, WorkWell has enrolled some 492 participants, 290 of them completing the entire training and graduating with a clear vision of their future and a set of life skills and job skills to support attaining it.  The success of WorkWell and other programs that support returning citizens has driven the recidivism rate in New Jersey to remarkable lows, some 14%.  This effort keeps individuals from wasting more precious years of their lives, while saving taxpayers some $75,000 per prisoner, per year that would be spent on incarceration.  By contrast, training and continuing support for a WorkWell participant is only about 7% of that amount--$5,500 carries one individual from exiting the front gate of the prison through to graduation from WorkWell, and offers the prospect of a stable future of self-sufficiency and self-respect as a welcome member of the larger community.  

Of course, like all non-profit organizations, WorkWell depends on the generosity of the community to finance its operations.  For example, $30 ensures one participant’s transportation to and from the training every day.  And $200 provides lunch for a participant throughout their training.   A donation of $5,500 would, in effect, provide a fellowship to carry one returning citizen through the entire WorkWell experience, from the first day through to graduation and the enhanced likelihood of a good job.

To donate, visit workwellpartnership.org and click the Donate button or directly at  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=UYY6XPJVWSS8Y

Caring adults who serve as mentors on Saturdays are delighted by how much they have to offer, beginning simply with a receptive heart and a listening ear.  But their sharing a wide range of life experiences with formerly incarcerated individuals provides surprisingly useful perspectives on moving forward.  Hearing how to handle seemingly ordinary events is actually something new and valuable to so many who have been isolated for so long.  One grateful participant remarked, “Others think we need to ‘re-join’ society.  But I never was part of ‘society’.  These people show us so much.” 

WorkWell welcomes members of the community who would like to be partners in this deeply rewarding work of mentoring.   Others who might prefer to serve in other volunteer capacities or as board members are also eagerly welcomed.  To inquire about possible engagement as a WorkWell volunteer, they may contact Jeannette Rizk, the Executive Director of WorkWell at info@workwellpartnership.org 

And of course, WorkWell exists entirely to offer a warm welcome to formerly incarcerated individuals looking for a fresh start.  They (or supportive friends) can apply on the website www.workwellpartnership.org or by phone at (609) 802-5678 to learn more about becoming a member of this family dedicated to their successful re-launch.

But finally and always, the heart of the WorkWell mission is seeing these graduates settled into jobs that provide them with the self-respect and community respect they yearn for.  And that is why the ultimate fulfillment of this mission is in the hands of employers willing to give a chance to motivated individuals with limited work experience.  To inquire about WorkWell-trained candidates for employment, they are invited to reach out to Jeannette Rizk, the Executive Director of WorkWell at info@workwellpartnership.org  Any such overture is likely to change many lives for the better. 

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