http://www.freep.com/article/2010021...nt-takes-shape
Posted: Feb. 16, 2010
Goodwill program transforms lives as restaurant takes shape
BY NAOMI R. PATTON
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
An empty old post office with dusty concrete floors and exposed brick walls in Detroit is being transformed into a soul food restaurant with the help of some former felons who found work through a Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit training program.
Leo Dolphin, 50, was part of the six-man crew working for chef Eric Giles and his partner Dave Theriault. They are converting the post office into the Sunday Dinner Company restaurant on East Jefferson near Mt. Elliott. It is to open by spring.
Dolphin, a certified master mechanic and electrician, couldn't find a job after serving 19 years in prison. He was convicted for aiding and abetting an armed robbery after a gun he owned and sold to a friend was used in a robbery.
Dolphin said he was "really, really frustrated" by trying to find a job.
He called it a godsend when he overheard someone talking about Goodwill Industry Detroit's Flip the Script program.
Teferi Brent, community reintegration coordinator for the Goodwill training program, assigned the crew working on the Sunday Dinner project.
"These guys are just outstanding," he said. "They come early, they stay late."
Workers buzzed around the structure one recent winter day. But a few months ago, most of the construction workers were former inmates looking for work.
Now, after three months on the job helping to build the restaurant -- and with the help of Giles -- three of the men have formed their own contracting firm.
With Giles' and Theriault's encouragement and assistance, Dolphin formed Perkins' Improvement Co. contracting firm, inviting two other crew members.
"There's a cycle that has to be broken," said Giles, 44, a restaurateur, caterer and entrepreneur. "I'm more concerned that we equip them."
Dolphin said his company has worked several jobs on rental properties since January, but finding work in this economic climate has been tough. He said no job is too small because he loves just being able to work.
"It's like you're getting paid to play," Dolphin said.
Contact NAOMI R. PATTON: 313-223-3327 or npatton@freepress.com
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