StepUp Ministry: Daniel's Story

Daniel arrived at StepUp Ministry in 2014, four days after ending a six-year prison sentence. In a small basement cubicle Daniel and employment recruiter, Erin Roesch, discussed why Daniel had come to StepUp Ministry and his vision for the future. He said he was “ready for a change”, and looking for a place he could work on building financial stability, finding employment, and strengthening his confidence and self-esteem. He found that at StepUp Ministry.“I was excited and kind of nervous at the same time because I didn’t know what [StepUp staff] would expect," said Daniel, about arriving for his first day of StepUp Ministry’s Job Skills workshop. "But at the same time I was excited to get into something that actually had a chance of helping me…It kind of gave me a sense of relief to say that I was around supportive, good people who were actually putting themselves out there to give a lending hand."Daniel recalls applying what he learned at the Job Skills workshop to his interview with Flying Biscuit, where he obtained a prep cook position seven days after his release. The next week, Daniel acquired a job working as a cook with Smithfield Chicken and BBQ. He worked both positions until an opportunity presented itself with Newcomb & Co., a faithful StepUp Ministry supporter.Daniel says he enjoyed his role cooking, but had always been interested in HVAC. After hearing that Daniel had completed the job skills workshop, Newcomb & Co’s VP brought Daniel in for an interview. Before he knew it, Daniel was working full-time alongside other StepUp participants at Newcomb & Co.Daniel believes his hard work and persistence, along with the tools and connections gained from StepUp Ministry, helped him earn his positions at Flying Biscuit, Smithfield Chicken, and Newcomb & Co., and he thanks StepUp Ministry for their help along the way. He truly treasures the partnership and the community that he has found in the process.