Congratulations to Sedale Collymore, a BHN employee who became the second graduate of the Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH) program on Feb. 16, 2023. This new program in Massachusetts allows defendants in Hampden County with criminal charges an opportunity to turn their lives around by having criminal charges dismissed and records subsequently expunged. “When you are coming from a broken place, an emotional place, you kind of have to just deconstruct yourself a little bit,” Collymore said. I definitely want to work a lot more and keep building my life up. To have a family and set myself up for a good, honest life.”

Spearheaded by District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, EACH began in 2020 to give at-risk youth, ages 18 to 24, a second chance at a critical moment in their lives. The program is made possible through the combined efforts of the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, and partnerships with organizations such as Roca, a community-based workforce development program helping young adults obtain on-the-job skills to ready them for permanent employment opportunities. “These young men work very, very hard,” District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said. “They do a lot of difficult things that they might not have been accustomed to but it’s all investing in their futures.”

BHN is proud to partner with Roca and offers job placements for the role of cook, facilities worker, and direct care specialist (DDS and ACCS programs). Sedale received a permanent job placement in the BHN facilities department after excelling in a 90-day shadowing role through Roca. "From the beginning, we noticed something about Sedale we couldn’t quite put our finger on, but knew he was special," said facilities manager Cladi Rodriguez. "We paired him with one of our senior technicians, and as expected, he shined. Sedale is very motivated, willing to learn, always ready to work, and has a positive attitude. If he continues down this path, we see nothing but great things for him at BHN or any job he considers. As Sedale grows through the ranks, we all agree that he has the qualities to be in a leadership role at some point. Sedale is a great addition to our facilities team, and we are proud to have him." 

Learn more in the article published by MassLive.