At the age of 17, Leon was wrongfully accused of committing murder.  At the age of 20 years old, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. For 25 years, Leon maintained his innocence and pleaded with the court to reconsider its judgement. After 27 years, through the Innocence Project, his case was reopened, his unjust verdict was overturned, and he was granted his hard fought and just freedom. Leon left prison with the clothes on his back and $36.00 in his pocket.  Now, at the age of 47, he, with great conviction and even greater dignity, is picking up the pieces of his life.

He was hired to work the night shift at a local corporation and through sheer determination, gets himself there on time, every night.  Having no means of transportation, Leon uses public transportation as far as it will take him.  Then, he mounts his bike and rides the remaining three miles.  He rides his bike in the rain and in the dark of night. In the winter, he will ride his bike in the snow.  He is grateful for the opportunity to work, and is planning on purchasing a vehicle as soon as his paycheck allows. But, until then, he will ride his bike.

We admire Leon’s tenacity and his resolve.  He is the victim not only of our broken justice system, but of our antiquated system of public transportation. Yet, he persists with pure grit in his pursuit for a better life for himself through employment. We believe he is not alone. We believe most working aged people welcome the dignity of employment.  

When businesses were located in town or within city limits, public transportation afforded everyone the opportunity to earn a living.  But with more and more corporations moving away from city centers, the transportation barrier is real and vehicles are a necessity to gainful employment. Many marginalized people seeking employment do not have a system in place, other than public transport, to support them in their transportation needs.  Though car-pooling is a possibility once work relationships are established, this takes time, a luxury many don’t have.

We are inviting you to consider how your organization might assist your employees who are in need of safe and efficient transportation to and from work.  Each organization may have a different approach to “Caring” for your workforce, but we at Care-Pooling are here to offer suggestions and support.  Together, we believe, the future will be brighter, not only for people in search of employment, but for corporations like yours, looking for qualified individuals who might otherwise remain unnoticed.