Ready, Willing & Able

Congratulation to the Men In Blue!!!!! Keep up the good work!!!

We love our #boysinblue from Ready, Willing & Able - Philadelphia! They are always out there rain or shine! They are even providing cleanup services for the upcoming Mayfair May-Fair Fallen Heroes Run Mayfair Classic Car Show.

Stop by RWA this morning.

We're grateful to be partnering with the National Fair Housing Alliance and proud to be featured in their new report, Investing in Inclusive Communities. The report outlines how NFHA and 13 of its partners invested $27 million in community support grants after an investigation into the maintenance of foreclosures in African American and Latino communities. As we continue to celebrate our 15th anniversary throughout the year, this generous grant will help launch a pilot proj...ect this fall allowing us to reconnect with and support many individuals in our community of Ready, Willing & Able - Philadelphia Graduates! At the conclusion of the project, we will be able to share greater insight into the issues that these men have faced, and demonstrate how important your support is to their continued success. http://www.nationalfairhousing.org//2016-08-26_Investing_i

Shahid just got back from #Rio where he watched his son, Shakur, represent Team USA in boxing and become an Olympic silver medalist! Shahid is a security guard at Ready, Willing & Able - Philadelphia, student at Community College of Philadelphia, and this week's star of our 15th anniversary series, "Men In Blue of Philadelphia"! "In the past, I moved from city to city, hoping that would be the difference I needed, but I always ended up in the same situation, just living in a ...different place. When I got to Philadelphia, I noticed Ready, Willing & Able guys cleaning LOVE Park and when I found out who they were, I wanted to be a part of that too. Ready, Willing & Able gave me the structure and accountability that I needed, but with the respect that I felt I deserved. That was the perfect combination for me." To read the rest of Shahid's story and meet all of the other men who have been featured during this project, please visit www.MIBofPHL.com! #MIBofPHL

We're so happy for and proud of Shakur Stephenson, son of Ready, Willing & Able - Philadelphia's Shahid! Shakur represented Team USA in boxing at the #SummerOlympics in #Rio and won a silver medal! Shahid was even able to get the chance to visit Rio and cheer on his son in person!

We're excited to have Lawrence Adams join the Ready, Willing & Able - Philadelphia team! He is a 2015 Graduate and will now be serving as a staff member and our new Adult Continuing Education Coordinator. Lawrence will be working with the students and volunteer tutors who participate in our reading, writing, and math classes and he will also be teaching our computer literacy courses, which he actually taught himself while still a trainee in the program. Welcome, Lawrence!

Everyone at Ready, Willing & Able - Philadelphia will be rooting for Shakur Stevenson as he represents the United States in boxing at the upcoming #SummerOlympics in #Rio! Shakur is the son of Shahid, a 2013 Ready, Willing & Able Graduate and now a staff member in our security department. Shahid was interviewed for the following article from NJ.com about his pride for his son's achievements as well as his personal journey to success. "He (Shahid) moved to Philadelphia to get away from the wrong crowd in his home city, enrolled in a program called "Ready, Willing and Able" that helps people battling addiction, homelessness and criminal recidivism. He graduated in 2013 and, on its website, the organization called him a 'shining example of the program's strength and success.'" http://www.nj.com//rio_2016_shakur_stevenson_carries_the_w

Howard is a 2009 Ready, Willing & Able - Philadelphia graduate and this week's star of our 15th anniversary series, "Men In Blue of Philadelphia"! Meet him below and read his entire story at www.MIBofPHL.com! #MIBofPHL "Before I got to Ready, Willing & Able, I lost everything. I lost my family, my home, my job, even my car. I lost my whole life and I had to start over. I knew that I wanted to get back the things that were gone, but also didn't want my grandkids to see me live in that way. I wanted to be a role model. Over the past few years I didn't just regain the things I lost like my family and home, but I found goals and a positive outlook. I have a purpose today."

We are so grateful for the first incredibly generous donation of suits we received from the Men's Wearhouse National Suit Drive! And there's still time to show your support! Donate a new or gently used item of professional clothing to your nearest store location by this Sunday, July 31 and help the "men in blue"! Visit menswearhouse.com/nationalsuitdrive to find the store nearest to you and learn more about the campaign. #giveasuit

Earlier this week, you met Eric who recently passed an entrance exam for a vocational training school AND started a new, full-time job! Today, get to know him even better through our 15th anniversary series, "Men In Blue of Philadelphia": "About one year ago I was living on the streets and met a few guys from Ready, Willing & Able - Philadelphia who were cleaning the streets that day. I asked them for some change, but they told me about this program instead. Something clicked... and that night I actually slept outside of the front door to the main city intake center. When they opened the next morning, I was the first person inside and said that I wanted to go to Ready, Willing & Able. I told myself that I wanted to "sit in the front row" the whole time I was here. I used to hide in the shadows so that I didn't have to pay attention to what was going on around me. I'm always front and center now, trying to learn and listen as much as possible." To read the rest of Eric's story, please visit www.MIBofPHL.com! #MIBofPHL

Working hard today with our friends Tonic Design Co. to help beautify South Broad Street in preparation for next week's #DNC!

We're so proud of and excited for Eric! He just shared the great news that he passed the entrance assessment for a vocational training school that he plans to attend AND he was offered and started a new full-time job this week! Eric has been one of the most dedicated students in our Adult Continuing Education classes and credits the time he invested and the support from our great team of volunteer tutors for his success today. Interested in volunteering at Ready, Willing & Able - Philadelphia? Contact Mark at [email protected] to learn more.