Trying to find gainful employment as an ex-felon is a story I am all too familiar with. Ten years ago I served a short sentence in San Francisco County Jail and one year in a residential recovery program for felony drug possession. Even with a good resume and great references the felony on my record made potential employers uneasy, and unwilling to give me a chance. Spending most of my adult life under the influence of various drugs and alcohol, and being sober for the first time did not make the process any easier. More importantly my confidence was shattered after getting rejected from several jobs that I knew that I was qualified for.

I was lucky enough to get an interview with Ashbury Images, one of the few programs at the time that encouraged ex-offenders to apply. They were not just accepting of my past but wanted to know what I could contribute to their organization. In 1999 I was hired part time to do administrative duties. I quickly moved into sales and became the Associate Director. And believe it or not after the General Manager left I became the leader of the organization after only six years

During those six years a lot changed. I found the confidence to become not only a good manager, but I became an industry expert and discovered that giving back was the most rewarding thing about my job. After a short break in 2008 to manage a contract screen printing shop, I realized that something was missing. That drive to create opportunities for people like myself was no longer the main focus of my life, and I was feeling drained and stressed all the time.

I was then approached by Jeff Sheinbein to work on the project that has become Social Imprints. This is the greatest opportunity of my life. I am coming into 2009 with my first company and my new baby girl. I am very excited about positively affecting the lives of people (like me) who are looking for a second chance in life.

Kevin McCracken

The youngest of three I grew up in the Marina Projects on the west side of Bridgeport, CT. We didn't have much growing up but we made due with what we had. Growing up was hard as I had an abusive-alcoholic dad. I first saw my dad beat my mom when I was eleven, and that incident had a profound affect on me.

As I got older I wondered why my mom stayed with him. I later found out that the fear of being alone and her Puerto Rican heritage made it hard to leave him. I hated the weekends because I knew that my dad would start drinking and unleash his anger on my mom, me and the rest of the family. Things got so bad that I had to find places to stay on the weekends just to get away from him.

During high school I also started to develop a passion for graphic arts. Drawing became an outlet for me to cope with my chaotic home life. I joined a program that would have artist paint murals on lower income housing neighborhoods I finally felt like I was doing something good with my art. By the end of my senior year in high school I was accepted at a local art college, through loans, grants and financial aid I was able to put myself through college and earned a BFA in graphic design. Working at social imprints allows me to turn my passion into a good paying job. I am really looking forward to working with other aspiring artists to help them pursue their passion.

Chris Knight

Growing up I experienced more than my fair share of trouble in school and with my home life. I spent the majority of my teenage years in group homes and in juvenile hall. Occasionally I would return to my family only to get into more trouble. After a year and a half in public high school I was sentenced to a Youth Authority camp. At the camp I started to heal from some of my childhood demons. I also began to apply myself in school and graduated from high school with straight A's during my senior year. I worked hard and did well on my SAT and was accepted into college on a scholarship.

My college experience was promising until I was robbed and shot at a party. The doctor told me that I might never regain the use of my left hand as a result of the shooting. After the incident, I reverted back to my old ways and once again began to carry a gun with me at all times. As you would expect, this led to my first adult felony arrest. Instead of graduating from college I found myself incarcerated. When released I again lost direction and continued down the path of recidivism for several more convictions.

After my last conviction I knew that I had to make some serious changes in my life. While my resolve was strong, my record prevented me from finding stable employment. I became frustrated and angry as I was only able to find transitional & temporary work because of my record.

When I ran across the ad for Social Imprints, I was ecstatic to find an employer who was able to look beyond my past to see my potential. I knew that I was more than capable of thriving in a professional workplace if given the chance. Getting the position wasn't easy. I was initially turned down, but Jeff encouraged me to check back every few weeks. After six months I was able to secure a position as Web Store Manager.

Social Imprints provided me with the personal support I needed during my transition into an office setting. I have learned to go beyond my comfort zone and what it takes to become a true professional. Social Imprints has been instrumental in turning my life around by helping me realize that my past doesn't define me and that I am capable of anything I set my mind to accomplishing.

Leon Senmon

I grew up the youngest of 5 siblings in Roseville CA. I helped raise goats and sheep for the family farm. At the age of 12 my parents got divorced and I moved to Santa Rosa with my mother and step dad. Not happy with my parents split up I started to dabbling with drugs and getting into trouble with the law. By 18 I became a father to Cloe, a beautiful little girl. My new daughter forced me to look at life differently and I realized that I had to get my act together not but for myself but for my daughter. My life started looking up as I became and got a job baking bread at a local bakery. But my good fortune was short-lived as I split up with my girlfriend and she took by daughter to Italy. After that I fell into a deep depression and started drinking and became addicted to speed. As you can imagine my life completely fell apart. I lost my job at the bakery and for the next 8 years I became a floater with no direction.

In 2002 my daughter moved back to the US and at that same point I realized that if I don't change my ways that I was going to end up dead. With the help of a few friends I quite drinking and decided to give up drugs for good. I also met a wonderful girlfriend who has helped me to see all of the glories things that I am grateful for in my life…including my worldly daughter. I am grateful for the opportunity to work at Social Imprints and to have the opportunity to start a career in shipping and fulfillment. Social Imprints has helped cultivate my work ethic and helped me to see the importance of keeping my word. Being the web store manager has also helped me to become more comfortable talking with people.

Tom Kazanski

I grew up in a mostly blue color town in NY. I came from a broken home & never knew my biological father who I heard had been abusive to my mother. Around the age of 11 my "family" grew to include a new stepfather & his 3 children from his first marriage. Both of my parents worked a lot to keep their heads above water to provide for this new larger family. My parents were not home very much and I became bored and rebellious and was searching to find something to feel good about in life. This dissatisfaction in life continued to be a major factor in my life and soon after I began to experiment with drugs and booze.

When I was 20 years old I began to follow a rock band around the country for a number of years. My life resembled a "traveling circus" and I began to party all day and night. I had no responsibility and my biggest fears were waking up in jail and realizing what my life had become. I found myself spending a lot of time on the streets and selling drugs to support my habit. Owning nothing but a backpack with a dirty change of clothes and a gnarly drug habit, I was miserable and had no direction. Jail was the only thing that kept me alive. I was completely exhausted, broken & hopeless.

During my last arrest I finally caught a break. I was fortunate to get sentenced to a yearlong treatment center where I started to learn how to live like an actual member of society. At that time I befriended Social Imprints Co-Founder and COO, Kevin McCracken, who was working for a non-profit screen-printing and embroidery shop. Kevin hired me to answer the phone and file papers. The only problem was that I had never worked in an office before.

Working at the non-profit helped me to get my life back together. I final felt that I had some direction in my life. After working at the non-profit for several years I felt like I was ready for a more senior position. Unfortunately no other company was willing to hire me in a senior white-collar position because of my past. Social Imprints was willing to take a chance on me and offered me a senior sales position. I feel really lucky to work in such a challenging and supportive work environment. I look forward to learning what it takes to become a true sales professional and one day hopefully have enough money to buy a house in San Francisco.

Chris Shiherlis

My relationship with drugs was fairly innocent through high school and college. I experimented with the usual culprits, alcohol and marijuana. It was not until my twenties that I discovered meth for the first time. All it took was that one time for me to get addicted. From that point forward every decision and choice that I made was influenced by my addiction to meth.

For the next ten years I was consumed by my addiction. Drugs became the most important thing in my life. As if using wasn't bad enough, I also began selling crystal. During my years as a drug dealer I had jobs that were nothing more than a cover for my dealing. Over the years I was caught twice by the authorities. That was enough to stop me from selling but in no way did it affect my usage. I was now forced to find a new way to support my pricey habit. I started my own business and with a little luck and the ability to work 24 hours a day – due to the affects of meth – the business did very well.

My life would soon crumble after finding out that my mother had died. I was so consumed in my addiction and selfish behavior that my family's only way to inform me of my mother's death was to leave a voicemail that I did not retrieve for several days.

Shortly before my mother's passing I met my partner Rick. If it was not for his support and encouragement I am not sure if I would have made it out of the darkness. The next couple years were not easy. I managed to stop using meth, but only to begin an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. My alcohol use turned me into a complete monster. On Feb. 14th, 2008 I blacked out – during one of my many drinking binges – and severely beat my partner. This resulted in my arrest and court ordered 60 day treatment. I am very grateful for the support I received from my partner and family during this period of recovery.

Having run my business into the ground and burned many bridges along the way, I found it very difficult to find employment. I am grateful to have found Social Imprints. This is a company that has given me the 2nd chance I so desperately needed. While I will never forget all of the hurt my mistakes have caused, I now have a hopeful and positive outlook on my future.

Ray Levoi