30 Days to Management!
Mickey O’Rear could be the character in “Breaking Bad”. Mickey played football for the University of Alabama and was a graduate in Environmental Science from our favorite University. Like Walter White, he was a teacher with just a few credits to go for his master’s degree. Mickey met a girl who happened to be into meth and Mickey made one bad decision that led to several other bad decisions and finally a stint in the county jail for theft of property. He came out after 115 days to find that his wife was with another man and he was homeless.
When Mickey came to WCCH, he was discouraged and flat broke. He needed food, a place to live and a way to get around because he owed $525 to the impound lot where his vehicle was being held. He needed a way to and from the odd-jobs he was trying to work for friends and family members. He would come in to see his caseworker and mentor sweaty and dirty with one story after another of the hardships he was facing. He tried to start a landscaping business. He thought of doing online selling. Just when he thought he was making progress his vehicle was stolen and wrecked. All the windows were broken out. The car broke down due to engine problems. Mickey was stressed because his former spouse was leaving their baby with people he did not know. He lived in a boarding house for a while until the owner lost the house to the bank. He lived with friends who did not have room for him. He struggled with trying to get his own housing. He struggled with trying to make his court referral classes without transportation. He struggled with trying to clear his fines when money was scarce. The path back to self-sufficiency was long and hard.
Recently Mickey began working for Pilgrim’s Pride processing plant in Russellville. The starting wage at Pilgrim’s was $15.00. Mickey wanted to do even better. With hard work and dependability Mickey was promoted to Safety Manager 30 days after he started work there. This had never happened before – being promoted to a management job from the production line - in just 30 days!
Mickey loves the encouraging work environment and is seeing a future for himself with the company. He has his own apartment and is enjoying regular visits with his children. Although his life is not completely restored to the point it was “before the fall”, Mickey is heading in the right direction. WCCH is making a difference.