INDIANAPOLIS – A program aimed to equip those formerly incarcerated with skills to get them back on their feet, has turned into a life-changing experience for some men.
Kenny Gregory started the program Fishers of Men through Kenny’s Academy of Barbering, which teaches students skills to become a barber. Gregory said his father helped inspire many of his community outreach programs.
“He once told me that if you teach a man to fish, he'll never be hungry. He just told me that barbering is your fishing pole,” said Gregory.
Leroy Thomas and Darreion Stevens, who both served time in prison, seven and 11 years respectively, said they aren’t sure where they would be without the program.
“Changed my life. I mean, words alone cannot explain how it's changed my life,” said Thomas.
Both men met their instructor Gregory at Pendleton Correctional Facility and were hired to become barbers.
Thomas said enrolling in the program meant moving past felony drug charges as well as changing his circle of friends and priorities. He said now he is able to give back to the younger generation.
"Kids come in, and they're lost. They are. They don't have a purpose. They're making bad choices. I try to instill and minister in them, the things I did,” said Thomas.
Ex-felons interested in Fishers for Men can apply here. Those who don’t qualify for financial aid pay $2 per hour to attend.
MORE TOP STORIES | Southport parents pull students out of district due to bullying | 78-year-old man killed in Fishers plane crash | 27-year-old soldier from Marion, Indiana dies at Fort Bragg | Cannabis church founder Bill Levin finds beloved peacock 'Bert' murdered | Home Tour: Converted church on Fletcher Ave. renovated to the nines
Top Trending Videos
