Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyron.
Tyron, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After graduating as class president in 1998 from Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, I worked for 15 years in the criminal justice system — from drug rehab to juvenile justice to federal casework — helping to re-start troubled lives. I also worked as an employment specialist with the Florida Bureau of Prisons, where I helped hundreds of men and women gain useful employment once they were released from federal prison, and also as a supervisor at Youth Services International.
I was studying criminal justice at Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs when the love of my life, my mother, passed away here in Florida on May 16, 2013. What she taught me my whole life — hard work, faith in the Lord — came to push me further and faster. Consider: since that date in 2013, I opened Experience Hair Studio, Hanna & Hanna Catering, Last Chance Empowerment Center and, of course, Thrive For A Change of the Palm Beaches, Inc.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life is always a struggle, but what’s key is beating those struggles back. My mother and my grandmother always taught me to work hard and believe in the Lord. If you do those two things, they always said, you can handle whatever life throws your way. If you look at my Facebook page, you’ll see I share this and other pieces of wisdom that help me deal with those bumps in the road. So, yes, there were struggles, but I fight, I work hard and I pray. Then the road smooths out. But that one major crevice in the road — when I lost my mother — that was a difficult fight to win. But, to this day, I continue the battle.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Thrive For A Change of the Palm Beaches – what should we know?
Thrive For A Change is my life’s work because growing up in the Glades, I know how hard it is to achieve, period, but when you add ‘felon’ to your title, it’s really, really difficult. So from my work experiences in this field, I know how to help ex-felons start over. Whatever it takes. We are perhaps the only grassroots nonprofit in Palm Beach County dedicated to ex-felon re-entry. We are clear in what we do: we push rehabilitation in all its forms, including housing, jobs, social skills training and family re-connection on behalf of our communities and these returning residents — Palm Beach County’s ex-felons.
I’m most proud of the fact that I have created a coalition of people that believe in the work we’re doing and understand why it’s critically important.
What sets us apart, I believe, is the fact that we are on the ground. We’re not representing government, corporations, churches — we work with them all, for sure — but, rather, we represent these men and women who’ve made mistakes and now are coming back home.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Hard work and faith in the Lord.
Contact Info:
- Address: 931 Village Blvd., Suite #905, West Palm Beach, FL 33409
- Website: Website is being re-constructed currently
- Phone: 561-506-0073
- Email: [email protected]
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