Life was a daily struggle for Owen Williams, 24, a high school dropout who lost his job at Wal-Mart two years ago. The single father from We6t Palm Beach, Fla., urgently needed to find a way to support his two boys, now three and four. He got a chance at a fresh start after spotting a newspaper ad from the National Urban League (NUL) for its Urban Youth Empowerment Program, which helps at-risk young people enter the workforce. Once he signed up, the Urban League of Palm Beach County helped him prepare for and pass the General Educational Development (GED) tests that enabled him to get a high-school equivalency certificate. In January, Williams started culinary school to become a chef. "I'm trying to turn my life around," he says.
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