When volunteering makes you successful

by Maëva BERGEON

“Every body deserves a second chance”, 

It was a statement used by a woman in reconversion, after her incarceration. Thanks to Sweet Beginnings, she is learning a job, like many other incarcerated individuals. Indeed, this company purposes a formation for offenders, and the employees are seriously trained and coached. Sweet Beginnings presents its natural skin and body care products beelove™ which are natural and made with honey. Employees make honey, work with the bees, and extract the honey. They make their products with respect of the environment too. 

This company is based on the volunteering and it’s really a success because it provides a job to ex-convicts for 90 days, and after that it’s easier to them to find a work.  Indeed, last year we know that 620 persons over 2000 found work after this training, it’s really great, because a lot of bosses refuse to employ ex-criminals. On the other hand, few people working for beelove™ never had formation or real job before, and for them it’s a second chance. It’s a successful transition-to-permanent-employment for formerly incarcerated individuals and others with significant barriers to employment, because beelove™ has only 3% of recidivism rate compared to the national average rate of 67%. These results are convincing when we know that 57% of the population in this area has a criminal background. In reality, beelove™ is implanted in North Lawndale, in the West of Chicago and we can see a lot of trashes in the street and next to the subway, with only few people. It’s a little bit like an abandoned and badly place, so the result of the recidivism for beelove™ is a real success! 

To practice of volunteering is very important to businesses in US, because it can help to develop contact and makes publicity. It helps people with time or money, and increases your business. You can enhance your skills, bolster employee morale and give back to your community. Thanks to the sales of this products in top boutiques and from its website, the company won $10 000 last year. Now it can employ more people. All ex-convicts said that were very happy to progress with beelove™, and after their formation, they would like to help other people like them. They think that can help to limit the discrimination about the background.