From the intense lights to headlights.
Former St. John’s standout and NBA nice Jayson Williams is main a Nassau Nation rehab program that has remodeled almost a dozen previously incarcerated women and men — giving them a brand new lease on life as truck drivers.
“After I was up there getting the diploma, man, I nearly cried. … I labored arduous for today,” Timmy Jones, 39, informed The Put up after Monday’s commencement ceremony at Nassau Neighborhood School.
Jones, who served greater than 15 years for manslaughter, was a member of Rebound on the Street’s first Lengthy Island class.
“You bought members of the family that received’t provide you with one other likelihood after coming house from jail throughout a long run, so this meant so much,” he mentioned.
The eight-week initiative is the brainchild of the ex-New Jersey Web, who himself was locked up for 27 months after the unintended 2002 capturing of his limo driver, Costas Christofi.
Williams, as soon as a ferocious rebounder on the hardwood, is now utilizing that zeal to assault this newest enterprise.
“I’m right here seven days every week — no less than. I feel Sundays are in all probability ten hours a day, the whole lot else about 13,14 hour days,” mentioned Williams, who has devoted his life to serving to others since his launch.
“I find it irresistible. I actually do. You see the distinction it makes … and we put out a great product.”
Full velocity forward
Past abilities behind the wheel of a giant rig, Williams prioritizes life classes and psychological well being for his college students as they prepare for what he calls not a second likelihood, however one other likelihood.
Classmates who don’t say good morning get despatched house, whereas Williams additionally invested in boxing gloves, which he calls the “suggestion field,” to air out grievances.
He additionally takes the category jet snowboarding, prioritizes prayer and requires those that can to skydive as a means of breaking by way of their consolation zones.
“I’ve been desirous to do skydiving exterior of this system, so I’m truly actually enthusiastic about that,” mentioned latest grad Clayrone Garner, who’s but to plunge from the aircraft.
“It provides you one thing extra to work in direction of.”
The religion Williams places into his college students isn’t misplaced on Jones both, who mentioned that the apprentices pay it again of their work ethic.
“We’ve been out right here going arduous from sunup to sunset for the reason that program opened,” he mentioned of the group that bonds over barbecues and a vegetable backyard they develop close to the truck lot on campus.
Garner, who additionally went away for a violent crime, mentioned the backyard grows watermelon and squash — and has became a psychological well being metaphor about treating oneself.
Name it the backyard of goals.
“The backyard teaches you life’s worth just a little bit extra from development … the extra you already know, the extra data you place into your thoughts, the extra good belongings you put into the environment, the higher off you might be,” he mentioned.
“It’s nearly like a house away from house,” Garner added of this system.
Williams, in the meantime, touts success on the scholars’ want for constructive change.
“It solely works due to the power,” he mentioned.
“I’ve been out of the faculties and different packages the place folks simply are available in like they’re doing you a favor. Right here, they arrive in they usually’re thirsty.”
Nassau County Govt Bruce Blakeman knew straight away issues would transfer a mile a minute when Williams first pitched him on this system a couple of months in the past.
“We consider in legislation and order,” Blakeman mentioned. “That’s why we’re the most secure county in America. However simply placing folks in jail shouldn’t be the only real resolution to the issues.
“We’ve to get folks to reinvent their lives in a productive means, to be good residents and good members of society.”
Nassau initially poured $1 million into Rebound on the Street and just lately pledged one other $300,000 after seeing the success of the primary graduating class.
“In the long term, this makes us safer as a result of these folks received’t get again into crime,” Blakeman mentioned.
“It brings down our recidivism price — and it provides them hope.”
On high of that, it’s given Williams a dream job for all times on Lengthy Island.
“If Saint John’s known as me up and requested me to teach, I might say no,” he mentioned.
“I need to be serving to folks with their lives, not rating extra factors.”
