“I’m ready. Let’s get to work.”
That’s what Kareem told his career coach Christopher, from prison, before he’d even walked out the door.
Kareem first came to CareerCatchers in 2022 looking for a job. What he found was an organization that would still be in his corner four years later. Christopher started with the basics: a resume, a cover letter, mock interviews, honest conversations about professionalism, and space to talk through a hard week when he needed it. That mix of practical tools and real support is what CareerCatchers does best, and it worked. Kareem landed a job in retail, moved into marketing, and with our continued retention support, was promoted to assistant manager. He was doing well, and it showed.
Then, in 2024, his life took a hard turn. Kareem was, in his own words, in the wrong place at the wrong time, a single bad decision that cost him his freedom, and he spent the next eighteen months in prison.
It would have been easy for that chapter to be the end of his story. But that’s not how Kareem wanted it to end. Instead, he found something unexpected in prison: a passion for cooking. While in prison, he earned his ServSafe certification and built his culinary skills to prepare for the life he wanted to come back to. However, he knew he needed help putting that into a resume and explaining it to employers.
Remembering his experience with his career coach at CareerCatchers, Kareem knew he could turn to Christopher for help. He called him, told him his situation, and shared his passion for food and his hope to land a cooking job. Earlier this year, when he was released, they got to work right away, rebuilding his resume and cover letter around his new direction. Within a few weeks, he had landed a restaurant job.
Last week, when Christopher called to check up on him, he shared that he’d not only gotten a promotion to assistant manager, but was looking into culinary schools to turn his passion into a career.
This is what your support does. Most career coaching would have ended when Kareem landed his first job. Ours doesn’t. Our coaches can build real relationships with clients, relationships that hold through a job change, a hard chapter, and a fresh start.
Because of that, clients like Kareem know they can come back, not just once, but as many times as life requires.
That’s the kind of support your gift makes possible. It keeps CareerCatchers ready for the next Kareem, whenever and however he calls.
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*Name has been changed to protect privacy. The included photo may not picture the individuals featured in the story.