LIFT Annual Report 2013: Building Strong Foundations | Page 10

Gary’s STORY
Lighting the Way to the Future

Gary Johnson describes the South Philadelphia neighborhood where he grew
up as a “negative environment,” but a smile appears when he recalls trash
day. “I was eight years old,” he says. “Before the garbage truck came, I’d go
looking for broken TVs and radios on the sidewalk. I’d bring them home and
take them apart.”
After decades of bad decisions and bad luck, Gary realized he needed a LIFT.
The odds were stacked against him, and not just because of Philadelphia’s
record unemployment levels. The day after he was released from prison, he
visited his assigned employment agency but quickly grew frustrated. “They
didn’t know how to help me,” he recalls. “They knew how to help people
who already had career paths. I dropped out of high school a year before
graduation.” Then he tried LIFT.
“Before LIFT,” he summarizes, “getting a job was like looking for a needle in a
haystack—at night. LIFT was my flashlight.”
LIFT program development associate Anisha Sinha asked him about his life
and goals, and he began visiting LIFT’s offices every day to write a resume
and cover letters, to submit job applications, and to build his job readiness
skills. “I didn’t know how to talk in interviews,” Gary admits, “but Anisha
forced me to articulate my story and my objectives. It helped me prepare for
the real thing.”
Twenty job interviews later, an area hotel wanted to hire Gary as a part-time
dishwasher. They requested a character letter, and Anisha readily wrote
a glowing recommendation. “He was diligent about coming to LIFT and