Bad choices don’t make bad people. We believe everyone deserves the chance to rise, rebuild, and rewrite their story.
This week, under a pole barn outside the Walton County Jail, four inmates did exactly that. With forklifts humming and a small crowd gathered, Jacob Joyner, Alexander Ethridge, Ian Baxter, and Charles Kearse graduated from our forklift program. The ceremony was simple, but the meaning behind it ran deep. Each man showcased the skills he’s worked hard to learn, proving that growth can happen anywhere, even in the hardest chapters of life.
“This was a very big learning experience,” graduate Alexander Ethridge can be heard saying at the end of the ceremony. ” To me, it shows that even going to jail at a young age, you can still do something with that time and learn and grow.”
These programs don’t erase the past, but they illuminate the future. They remind us that the measure of a person is not the mistakes they’ve made, but the steps they take afterward.
Congratulations, gentlemen. We’re proud of the work you’ve put in and the paths you’re choosing to build. Keep going. Your story is still being written.
