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Inking a Future

Photography courtesy of Turn90 & Paul CheneyPhotos 15Issue November 2024
Winard Eady (above, teaching the daily life skills class) discovered Turn90 after being released from federal prison in 2019. He completed the program, found gainful employment, and eventually returned as a classroom facilitator. Today, he’s the Charleston program manager, helping other men reenter the community and build a better life.The Turn90 Print Shop and Turn90 Logistics are the business-to-business social enterprises of the nonprofit.With hands-on training in screen printing, embroidery, and kit assembly, participants are paid an hourly wage while preparing them for success with future employment. When companies source products, such as T-shirts, from Turn90, they’re supporting both community and workforce development.Turn90 founder Amy Barch (far right) with some of her team at the program’s Columbia facility, including (from left) Terrance Ferrell, Deon Nowell, Sarah Brown, Joseph Smith, Melvin Bell, Ahmon Stewart, Billy Bullock, Lorenzo Strong, Aulzue Fields, Mark Roberts, Frederick Miles, and Jimmy Brown.Cognitive behavioral therapy plays an important role in helping guide the men to a productive mind-set.Inking a FutureOne of the goals of Turn90’s print shop is to restore the men’s executive functioning skills that may have deteriorated behind bars.“With the help of Turn90, I’ve become a better man for my kids and my family,” says Eady.Inking a FutureThe ever-growing wall of graduates represents the ripple effect of lives impacted by the program.Turn90 founder Amy Barch.Barch says that she knew she wanted to hire Winard Eady when she met him: “I knew he was serious about Turn90, and I saw how gifted he was in motivating other men while in the program.” And she notes that his story is not unique: “There are so many guys out there who have been able to overcome these odds in which everything was stacked against them.”Turn90 Charleston director Justin Evans (right, working with John Thomas) says he’s humbled by the men’s drive and resilience.In May, the Turn90 team was honored with the 2024 OneSouthCarolina Partners in Progress Award from Furman University’s Riley Institute for driving social and economic impact in the state.Last Thanksgiving, Turn90 participants shared their messages of gratitude for family, freedom, and a second chance.

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Inking a Future: How local nonprofit Turn90 gives formerly incarcerated men a positive pathway forward
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