Good Newsgeneration nowGeorgia jobs

Teens Ask For Summer Jobs After Gangs Try To Recruit Them

“I hired them on the spot! The streets will not have our children!”
Open Image Modal
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

|
Open Image Modal
From left to right: Desmond Woodard, Dylik Smith, Jalen Parham and Deion Woodard.
Zsa Zsa Heard

They all ganged up ― to stay out of gangs.

Four young men who live at LaGrange Housing Authority in Georgia have gotten summer jobs working for their community after months of persistence.

The clincher occurred when the teens confessed to Zsa Zsa Heard, CEO at LaGrange Housing Authority, that all four of them had been approached to join gangs and wanted to stay out of trouble. The interaction prompted Heard to write a moving Facebook post, in which she said:

“I hired them on the spot! The streets will not have our children!”

Dylik Smith, 13, Jalen Parham, 13, and twin brothers, Desmond and Deion Woodard, 14, now tend to a community garden, pass out flyers and perform other odd jobs around LaGrange Housing Authority for $7.25 an hour.

Open Image Modal
Zsa Zsa Heard / Lagrange Housing Authority

Heard told The Huffington Post that they’re even building new picnic benches for the community from scratch.

Open Image Modal
Zsa Zsa Heard / Lagrange Housing Authority

The teens have been consistently asking Heard for jobs since May, when their school year ended for summer break. But Heard assumed that the boys wanted to work purely for monetary reasons.

“I thought they just wanted to work for money,” she told HuffPost.

Heard finally gave the boys an opportunity on July 26, telling them she had to speak to the financial department at LaGrange Housing Authority about hiring them first, but if they came by her office the next day, she’d talk to them about possibilities.

She made an appointment with them for 11 a.m. for July 27. The young men arrived at her office the next day at 10:15 a.m.

Open Image Modal
Zsa Zsa Heard / Lagrange Housing Authority

Heard then asked the teens why they wanted to work, assuming that they would say they wanted money. The response Heard got instead surprised her.

“That’s when Desmond told me, ‘We just don’t want to be in gangs.’”

Heard said the other three teens turned their heads away, but Woodard pressed on. 

“He said, ‘Tell her the truth, tell her they’ve approached all of us, not just me.’”

The boys confirmed that they had been approached by gangs. 

Open Image Modal
Zsa Zsa Heard / Lagrange Housing Authority

“I knew then we had to put them to work fast,” Heard said.

The boys were hired that day and Heard posted about the experience on Facebook:

So far the post has received over 600 shares, over 400 likes and comments from people beaming with support.

Heard told HuffPost that the boys are hard workers that don’t turn up their noses at any task — even when tending to the community’s new chickens.

“Even cleaning out the chicken coop yesterday, they do it and they don’t complain at all,” Heard said. “Anything we ask they do it.”

Before You Go

11 Jobs Paying Americans Over $100,000
Human Resources Managers(01 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 116,610
> Median salary: $102,780
> Employment change 2012-2022: 13.2%

Human resources managers help organizations find, motivate, and retain talented employees to help their businesses remain competitive. A typical HR manager earns $102,780 a year, the 11th highest median income of all popular occupations reviewed. Depending on their industry, such managers can earn even more. Those employed in professional and business services earn more than $112,000, while those working in the healthcare industry earn roughly $86,000. As the economy continues to recover from the recession and businesses expand and hire, employment of human resources managers is likely to increase. The BLS forecasts that employment of this occupation will grow by 13.2% by 2022, higher than the estimated 10.8% growth of all occupations.
 (credit:Thomas Barwick via Getty Images)
Software Developers, Systems Software(02 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 382,400
> Median salary: $102,880
> Employment change 2012-2022: 20.4%Responsible for designing, developing, and testing operating systems, software developers in systems software earn a median income of $102,880 annually. As the epicenter of the technology boom, California is home to many of the nation’s software developers. Consequently, 21.5% of all workers employed in this occupation work in the state. (credit:PeopleImages.com via Getty Images)
Sales Manager(03 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 358,920
> Median salary: $110,660
> Employment change 2012-2022: 8.3%The typical sales manager earns more than $110,000 a year. Such managers are important for driving revenue and profits at an organization. Day-to-day, these managers are responsible for training sales teams, preparing budgets, and analyzing sales data. The majority of sales managers have a bachelor’s degree and one to five years of experience as a sales representative. Even as companies move aspects of their business overseas and many worry about the effect such a move will have on U.S. employment, sales managers need not worry. The BLS estimates employment in this occupation will grow 8% by 2022.

 (credit:Wavebreakmedia Ltd via Getty Images)
Lawyers(04 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 603,310
> Median salary: $114,970
> Employment change 2012-2022: 9.8%A typical lawyer earns roughly $115,000 annually, the eighth highest income among jobs reviewed. There are about 600,000 lawyers in the country, up 14% since 2005. Jobs in this area are expected to grow an additional 10% by 2022, according to BLS forecasts, in-line with the growth rate of all occupations over that time. Law firms employ the vast majority of lawyers. However, in the face of more frequent lawsuits, patent applications, and other legal tasks, many companies are expanding their in-house legal department to minimize costs. This will likely increase the demand for specialized attorneys in financial services or healthcare-related industries, for example. (credit:Cristian Baitg via Getty Images)
Financial Managers(05 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 518,030
> Median salary: $115,320
> Employment change 2012-2022: 8.9%

There are roughly 500,000 people employed as financial managers across the country. At least half of all people employed in this area earn $115,320 annually. Financial managers typically have a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of experience in a business-related field. However, companies are increasingly looking for employees with master’s degrees to fill these roles. And while certification is not required, many financial managers are CFA certified. The CFA Institute is widely recognized for its Chartered Financial Analyst certification, which requires passing three exams and four years of work experience. (credit:Medioimages/Photodisc via Getty Images)
Pharmacists(06 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 290,780
> Median salary: $120,950
> Employment change 2012-2022: 14.5%Over the 10 years ending in 2014, the number of pharmacists in the country grew by 26.6%, significantly faster than the 3.7% growth among all large occupations. By 2022, the BLS estimates the number of people working in this occupation will increase by 14.5% as the population continues to age and will require more prescription medications. Nationwide, employment is expected to grow 10.8% through 2022. Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, roughly 17 million people have gained health insurance through an exchange or due to the Medicaid expansion. These people will likely use prescription drugs more frequently than they would have if they were uninsured. A typical pharmacist earns $120,950, the sixth highest income among occupations employing more than 100,000. (credit:Musketeer via Getty Images)
Marketing Managers(07 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 184,490
> Median salary: $127,130
> Employment change 2012-2022: 12.7%Marketing managers earn a median annual salary of $127,130, more than 3.5 times greater than the $35,540 earned the typical American worker. One reason such managers earn high incomes may be due to their role in a company. Marketing managers are responsible for developing strategies that satisfy consumers and maximize the company’s profits. Additionally, they may oversee product development and identify potential customers. With companies these days able to sell their products in a store, over the phone, online, or any other way, demand for marketing managers will likely increase. The BLS forecasts the number of these jobs will increase by 12.7% by 2022, higher than the 10.8% growth rate of all occupations.

 (credit:Reggie Casagrande via Getty Images)
Computer and Information Systems Manager(08 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 330,360
> Median salary: $127,640
> Employment change 2012-2022: 15.3%

Computer and information systems managers, often called information technology (IT) managers, are responsible for outlining a company’s technology needs and overseeing the implementation of programs to meet those needs. The majority of IT managers have at least a bachelor’s degree in a computer- or information-related field. Citing the importance of Internet and mobile networks to a company’s business goals, the BLS predicts employment in this occupation will grow by 15.3% by 2022. Additionally, mounting concerns over cybersecurity will further increase demand for IT teams and the workers who manage them. In 2014, a typical IT manager earned $127,640 annually. (credit:Maksim Koval via Getty Images)
Architectural and Engineering Managers(09 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 179,320
> Median salary: $130,620
> Employment change 2012-2022: 6.7%A typical architectural and engineering manager earns $130,620 annually, nearly $100,000 more than the median salary of $35,540. Many workers in this field have a bachelor’s degree in architecture or engineering, and some have received advanced degrees in engineering management or other related fields. Future growth of this occupation is heavily determined by the industry in which workers are employed. The engineering services industry, for example, is projected to grow by 21% through 2022, but manufacturing, the industry that employs the most of these engineers, is expected to contract by 6%. Nevertheless, the BLS forecasts employment of architectural and engineering managers will grow by 6.7% by 2022, slower than the 10.8% growth expected of all occupations. (credit:Reza Estakhrian via Getty Images)
Chief Executives(10 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 246,240
> Median salary: $173,320
> Employment change 2012-2022: 5.3%When thinking of chief executives, Jamie Dimon of J.P. Morgan or Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook may come to mind. However, the vast majority of CEOs make considerably less than such famous executives — the median annual salary of a chief executive is $173,320. While this is still nearly $140,000 above the median income of all occupations, it is considerably less than the millions of dollars earned by CEOs at some large companies. Employment in this occupation is projected to grow by 5.3% through 2022. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Family and General Practitioners(11 of11)
Open Image Modal
> Employment: 124,810
> Median salary: $180,180
> Employment change 2012-2022: 14.6%No job with at least 100,000 employees has a higher median salary than family and general practitioners. Of the roughly 125,000 doctors in the country, at least half earn more than $180,000 annually, more than five times the median salary of all occupations. Over the 10 years ending in 2014, employment of general physicians rose 11.3%, and the BLS projects employment will increase by another 14.6% to 142,100 doctors by 2022 due to the substantial increase in demand for medical services brought about by an ageing population. Employment of all occupations is expected to grow 10.8% by 2022.

 (credit:Martin Siepmann via Getty Images)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip