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Do you know about Triple Thread Apparel? A screen-printing Social Enterprise in support of Dismas House, Triple Thread Apparel has a very simple mission... |
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| Lennie's Story |
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Like many of the folks who have come through Dismas, Lennie got to a point in his life where he surrounded himself with the wrong people, in the wrong places, at the wrong times.
His actions landed him in prison for over five years. When it was time for Lennie to leave prison he chose Dismas House as the place to start over. The day Janell picked him up, he was standing outside in the snow wearing holey jeans, a t-shirt, and raggedy boots given to him moments before by another inmate so he wouldn't be barefoot. Soon after arriving, Lennie found a store that hired him only to be fired the same day after honestly answering questions about his criminal background. However, Dismas continued to provide him encouragement and support. After being pointed in the direction of Belmont United Methodist Church by Dismas staff, Lennie got a job as a custodian making $6/hr. Since that time, Lennie has been promoted to Property Manager for Belmont UMC, and he is the one doing the hiring now. He has gone to school twice for HVAC and electrical training. He has reconciled with his family after not going home for twenty years. He married Aida (a woman he met at Dismas) and has helped to raise Billy. He has more requests for work (away from the church) than he can keep up with, and has purchased a second house. However, of all his successes, Lennie says his greatest success is "peace of mind." He says that "Dismas was a blessing from God because it gave me a chance to build something." At Dismas he found one-on-one counseling, "real" friends, and a foundation upon with to make his new life. Things look mighty bright for Lennie now, but if he ever needs to remember where he started, he can still look at the jeans and boots he was wearing on the day he was released from prison – he still has them hanging in his closet. |
Lennie Minter claims, "I do my very best to take advantage of life," and he certainly has exhibited this by achieving one success after another since coming to Dismas House… However, his story has humble beginnings.