David

David remembers the days when his mother sold tacos every morning and tamales on Sundays to pay their bills. Some months their water would be shut off and others their phone would be disconnected. When he got to high school, he joined a gang, sold drugs and helped pay the bills. “I justified my actions with the excuse of having to help my mother,” David says. “I remember being embarrassed because my mother was referred to as the taco lady. I look back now and admire her tenacity and sacrifice.” David’s actions caught up with him, and he was incarcerated. “In prison I was delivered from my gang affiliation and started seeking Christ with all my heart,” David says. “I served as a translator for the church services and was elected as a peer educator for the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP).” After his release, David went to work for PEP. With help from On the Road Lending, he now has a reliable car, is building his credit, is sending his mother and father money to help them with their finances, and is learning to budget and plan for the future. “My goal is to start a nonprofit that will help at-risk youth gain direction into manhood,” he says.