How Tim Tebow Helps Former Prisoners Find Work
By Movieguide® Contributor
Tim Tebow is lending his support to an Ohio company giving former prisoners a second chance.
Nehemiah Manufacturing has been providing jobs for “hard-to-hire candidates” since 2009, working to bring “manufacturing jobs back to the inner city of Cincinnati to stimulate community development and economic growth,” per their website.
“Many employees who come to Nehemiah Manufacturing just need a chance to prove themselves,” the website reads. “They may show up with a spotty work history — or no work history — or a record blemished in some way. These hard-to-hire candidates are invisible to most companies. But not to us. Because we know giving people a chance is the right thing to do.”
CEO Dan Meyer told CBN News, “It was an Old Testament prophet called by God to rebuild Jerusalem one stone, one brick at a time. And when we wanted to come in the inner city and start this company close to 15 years ago, it was to help those in most need.”
“We have some family members that have spent 20-plus years in prison,” Kristen Schumacher, the chief manufacturing officer at Nehemiah Manufacturing, explained. “They would have never thought about being able to achieve a car, let alone a job. Then to be able to have the support that they have here, they never thought that that would even be possible. Our family members feel supported like they haven’t ever before. And that translates into loyalty.”
Tebow and his wife, Demi-Leigh, have partnered with Nehemiah Manufacturing, praising the company for the work they do.
“Nehemiah Manufacturing is a special place,” Tebow said in a promotional video. “When we had the privilege and opportunity to go for the first time, that’s what really caught our eye and our heart. Meeting the people, hearing their stories but then also seeing the way they were treated. When we saw that, we thought this is something that we want to be a part of.”
In a statement about the partnership, Schumacher said, “This partnership holds a dear place in our hearts. Uniting us with Tim and Demi through shared visions and a profound desire to touch lives and make a difference one person, one day at a time. Having Tim and Demi join the Nehemiah family is a true honor and we’re excited for all that’s ahead!”
Movieguide® previously reported on the Tebows’ partnership with Nehemiah Manufacturing:
He and wife Demi-Leigh also spoke about their partnership with Nehemiah Manufacturing, a company that is working to “build brands, create jobs and change [the] lives” of people who might struggle finding work, like those with criminal records.
“Yes, it’s a manufacturing company, and they do an incredible job with everyday products that all of us use in an incredible way,” Tebow explained. “But what’s special about it is that people and why we should believe in second chances is because Grace gave us all a second chance first, and we need to so believe in giving people a second and a third and a fifth and an eleven-teenth chance. Because that’s what Grace is all about.”
Demi-Leigh explained how Nehemiah Manufacturing works to achieve its goals.
“They have eight pillars that they use to walk alongside all of their employees, to come alongside them, to help them to be able to write that comeback story,” she said. “They provide financial support, continued education, things to the extent of affordable housing to their employees.”