Terence
Tell me about growing up. My dad died 3 days before I was born. He had a Tavern in Chicago. He told this guy that he couldn’t bring his own alcohol in. The man got mad, and came back later and shot him.
I was one of three boys. After Dad died, Mom did her best to raise us and work full time. It’s rough raising kids by yourself in the projects and in the ganglands of Chicago. It was a losing battle and she turned me over to the State when I was 10.
That was 26 years ago. Now I’m a single parent raising two daughters in Kansas City. I used to fuss and complain to my wife about the house being a mess. I had a lot of stupid expectations. Now I’m in her shoes, I understand what she went through! It’s like, I clear the place up and it’s a mess again! My 2 year old Tarriyah won’t stop moving and my 7 year old Zakira is no different! I struggle a lot with with juggling work, school and day care. I’m still trying to figure my way through it all.
How did you get connected with RS? The Doctor had told me that my 2 year old baby Tarriyah had lead poisoning. The level of lead in her blood was 13%. The apartment was dangerous and the Doctor said we should move out immediately. Me and my wife weren’t seeing eye to eye over this, so I took the girls and we moved into a shelter at Union City Mission. My friend Chris told me about RS. He said people were getting work at the Royals Stadium through the job fairs at the RS Cafe. I was homeless, and I needed a job.
I started working for Fr. Chris at Resolve Staffing on July 7. I came on as a cashier and was promoted to Offsite Rep at the beginning of August. I’m full time with them now, working in the office and at the Royals Stadium. I get to recruit and train others who need work and give them a leg up. They’e my team and I want them to succeed, just like I want to succeed.
There’s a lot of room for growth with Resolve. Our aim here is to get people in the community employed and give them opportunity to develop. I like the challenge of learning how to lead and I really enjoy working with the other supervisors. Tamekia is the nerd of our team. She’s a genius on the computer. Tiffany and Mona are the other supervisors. We all started on the ground floor and we’ve all come up through the system here at Resolve.
What would you say your strengths are? I communicate well with people and I create a good atmosphere for people to work in. I can see the big picture and the opportunities at hand and I’m not afraid to take initiative. I’m a good problem solver. I’m passionate and I have a strong work ethic.
What’s next for you? Me and the kids have moved on from the shelter to a temporary program with Community Link. They’re working with us to get stable housing. Tarriyah is doing much better. Both kids are full of life! My wife and I are working on the issues that drove us apart. I want to make a future for my family. My girls motivate me to work hard. I want them to be smarter than me, to have what I didn’t have and to give them opportunities to make it in the world.
