When Michael Craig stepped forward to accept his Phoenix Rising YouthBuild diploma, a voice three rows back from the front could be heard summing up the moment in just three words:
“Praise the Lord.”
Friday’s graduation capped off months of hard work, grit and determination for Craig along with Brayden Allen, Elizabeth Bishop, Summer Brigman, Destiny Brown, Jaydon Harper, Jadon Johnson, Isaiah Kennedy, Alejandro Manzanares, Zakery Murphy, Laderrick Pender Jr., and Jared Toole – all but two of whom were on hand to move their tassels from right to left and toss their mortarboards to the appreciation of friends and family.
Heather Cox, YouthBuild Career Development Coach could not have been prouder.
Keep moving forward. Continue growing and doing hard things …,” Cox told those assembled at the College of Central Florida Webber Center. “I believe in you. But above all else, keep believing in yourself and know you are worth it.”
In partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Marion County, Phoenix Rising YouthBuild strives to revitalize economically challenged neighborhoods while helping make a positive difference in the lives of deserving young adults, ages 18-24. The program, which got its start here in 2011, has become a national model of what communities can build when public and private partners work together.
It has earned recognition from the Florida League of Cities, National League of Cities, Harvard’s School of Business, and received Habitat for Humanity International’s highest honest, the Clarence E. Jordan Award for creativity and innovation in building homes and communities.
And brighter futures.
Kimberly Henderson, Habitat’s volunteer manager, told the graduates that during their time in the program, “you didn’t just learn, you served.”
A significant part of that service was building a Habitat home – from start to finish.
Building a home is a lot like building your future. When those first walls went up, the house wasn’t finished … The same is true for you,” she said. “Throughout YouthBuild, you kept showing up, you worked through challenges, you grew.”
The fact that the young adults helped give a family a place to call home is their legacy.
“A family will walk through that front door and have a place to call their own.
They will celebrate birthdays, holidays, and everyday moments inside those walls.”
On top of that, each member earned their high school diploma as well as multiple certifications. Three graduates received special recognition during the ceremony: Jonathan Rogers, Phoenix Rising Award; Summer Brigman, Rising Star Award, and Isaiah Kennedy, Positive Transformation Award.
Former Mayor Kent Guinn, one of the program’s staunchest supporters, was on hand to witness the accolades.
“Oh, I think it’s been great,” said Guinn, who serves on the CareerSource CLM’s board of directors. “You know, I’ve seen a lot of success stories come out of here. It’s very encouraging. They should have this program everywhere in Florida.”
As a freshly minted “success,” Zackery Murphy, 19, was initially at a loss for words – though he did admit the work was hard and it was often blisteringly hot on the construction site.
He also said that before the program, he was “a little lost, in a dead-end job and like, hopeless.”
“The program helped me get a diploma and a bunch of certifications, and yeah, build my confidence,” he said. “It’s definitely a worth it program.”
His mother Ashely Murphy said they didn’t know how he was going to finish school.
“Before he came to the program, I didn’t know if he was going to get his diploma. He
dropped out of school and I knew the GED was going to be very hard,” she said. “When (the program) was introduced to us, I was like, okay, that’s perfect … he better be ready for a change.
“I encouraged him to do it all … So, the fact that he started and he finished and he not only got, you know, he got his diploma and everything, I think it’s just amazing and I’m proud of him.
Laura Byrnes, APR, CPRC,
