After
his release from prison, Harry joined UPNEXT in a quest to improve both his and
his daughter’s life. Harry’s determination
led him to successfully complete our program and obtain employment at Time
Square Alliance, a partner organization which employs our most qualified graduates. At the same time, he was
rehabilitating his relationship with his daughter by helping her with school, playing with her and supporting her talents. Despite being on the right
track, Harry was not satisfied. Harry lamented on the precious time he lost in prisons. He sought to push himself further to right his wrongs, and build a bright future for himself and his daughter. While at TSA, Harry worked long hours, covered shifts, and mentored new hires. Impressed with his work, his superiors offered to train him for an upcoming supervisory opportunity. Harry started seeing his daughter more. He took her out to eat, brought her to friendly family gatherings, and encouraged her succeed in school. Harry’s efforts to be a better father did not go unrecognized; and, after appealing to the courts, he was awarded joint-custody of his daughter. To prepare for this responsibility, Harry budgeted and developed a financial plan with a counselor from Neighborhood Trust, another UPNEXT partner organization. With a sound financial foundation, Harry applied for, and secured, his own apartment in New Jersey.
As things are looking up for Harry, he remains humble and diligent. He has arranged to have his daughter live with him next year. Since she is an aspiring scientist, he looks forward to taking her to science museums around the Tri-State area, and enjoying the father-daughter bonding time that he so longed for.
