As a kid, my parents were a little on in years. I have four brothers and two sisters, but they are older than me and were out of the house by the time I was born. As a kid, I played basketball, football, and baseball. My friends and I would go to amusement parks and travel to other boroughs. We were very curious kids, and for whatever reason I had a big need for acceptance.

“We were very curious kids, and for whatever reason I had a big need for acceptance.”

When I was 13, my friends wanted to try drugs and they called me along. It wasn’t even a decision. It was just ‘if it was ok with them, it was ok with me’. That was the same year I was arrested for the first time. We thought it would be fun to go play inside the school on a Saturday. The window was broken and we climbed in. Someone must have seen us and called the cops. A lot of guys got away, but a couple of us got caught and our mothers had to come pick us up from the precinct. I was just growing up too fast.

A few years later, I left school. My childhood friends were moving on, going to work and college. They were going up the ladder and I was going down. I just couldn’t get out of the cycle.

Then, a deliveryman in my building, who was delivering a stereo, introduced me to heroin. When he offered it to me, I assumed it was cocaine. When he saw how I inhaled it, he said, “I shouldn’t have given you that.” I didn’t try it again for five years. But when I was introduced to it again, I went all in. I wanted to be a part of something. That’s how I lived my 20s and my 30s.

“The window was broken and we climbed in. Someone must have seen us and called the cops.”

During that time I had my daughter. Before her mother left, she told me to stop using. She tried to get me on board, but I wouldn’t let up. She had to go because she didn’t want our daughter to be subjected to that kind of lifestyle. She said, “We may not be together but we’ll still have her.” She ended up being right.

A few years ago, I got of jail and I didn’t want to return. I felt like I had a chance to make a fresh start. I started asking questions about what I needed to do to help myself. I was in a treatment program and there was a friend there who was also in ACE’s program. He explained to me how ACE worked, and I decided to give it a shot.

The people at ACE made me feel important—like they were going to make sure that I got the help I needed. They help provide work and income, teach you how to job search, and the dos and don’ts of the job. They helped me get my email address and learn how to work on the computer.

“Most important to me, I’m reigniting a relationship with my daughter.”

The last time I had a job was 2001, but I applied what I learned at ACE and it worked. When I got my job it felt like I was a part of something. I’ve been working for 10 months. I meet new people every day and everyone is respectful. My job offers a lot of training assistance for areas where I could grow my strengths. I want to climb up the ladder at this company.

I have my own place to live now, and it feels good. I don’t worry about something happening to my things or someone interrupting me when I need to rest. I’m just grateful that I’m not using or behind those four walls, having other people make all the decisions for me.

Most important to me, I’m reigniting a relationship with my daughter. She let me know what it was like for her growing up, but she still wants to help me. We’re so alike it’s amazing. She can finish my sentences and knows my thoughts before I can tell her. To have this opportunity to have a relationship with my daughter means everything.

There are more hard working men and women like Marc making their comeback right now. Make a gift today, and take part in their incredible journey to economic self-sufficiency.