Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | April 18, 2022 | wbjournal.com PHOTOS | EDD COTE Walking the walk A former gang member struggles to find funding for his nonprofit, as he works to provide jobs and stabilization for at-risk populations BY SLOANE M. PERRON WBJ Staff Writer T he walls at Worcester non- profit Fresh Start's location at 16 Austin St. are adorned with accolades from local politicians, published news- paper articles, a bachelor's degree from Worcester State University, a master's degree from Cambridge College, and a mental health counselor certification. Few would guess behind these achievements and milestones was a for- mer gang leader who served jail time in the Worcester House of Correction and federal time in the Washington D.C. and Occoquan Workhouse in Lorton, Va. "I'm not only the founder of Fresh Start, but I'm also the cofounder of the first gang out here in Worcester, Massa- chusetts," Derrick Kiser said. Fresh Start creates and implements mental health programs in the crim- inal justice and educational systems. Originally targeted to help at-risk youth, the program has grown to encompass ex-convicts trying to assimilate back into society, gang members trying to leave, and the homeless, or the forgotten peo- ple as Kiser calls these three populations. "His agenda is to help people stay off of some of the paths that he went on in life because he's had time to reflect on that and see a better way," said Worces- ter County Sheriff Lewis Evangelidis, who partners with Kiser to educate the population at the Worcester House of Correction in West Boylston. Yet, even as the Fresh Start's services earn accolades and are in demand, Kiser has struggled to find consistent funding for his nonprofit, as it survives off his volunteer time and one $60,000 grant it received in the early phases of the coronavirus pandemic. "It's a lot to try to run your own nonprofit and still be able to find allies, get funding, and get grants when you're not that familiar with all these other systems and entities, especially with me being an ex-gang member, not even a gang member, but an ex-gang leader. A lot of people probably look at me and say, 'He crazy. I ain't working with him,'" Kiser said. Finding purpose Born in Pittsburg, Kiser's family moved to Worcester when he was 7 years old. Kiser spent most of his life growing up in Main South. "ere were certain factors that put me in certain situations where, when we were only 13, we were doing a lot of bad stuff, and influenced by different people," Kiser said With little else to do than to play with the one broken basketball hoop in the neighborhood, Kiser and his brother started running the streets alone and hanging out with the wrong crowds. e two boys were in the midst of the cocaine era, further influenced by the images of wealth and women depicted in drug lord movies such as "Scarface" and "New Jack City". e descent into crime was fast as the boys became the only mobile drug trade in the city and formed the Kilby Street Posse. "en the police used to come down. ere was a lot of unrest and a lot of vio- lence. And then the police just started calling us a gang, and then the media started calling us a gang; and so we la- beled ourselves, and we became a gang," Kiser said. Kiser lived his life entrenched in Worcester's gang scene until at the age of 25 when he was locked up at the Worcester House of Correction and came across the book "e Enforcer", a true story about an Italian mafia member who turned his life around and found Christianity. "Aer reading that book, I fell down on my knees, and I prayed to God. I said, 'You get me out of this situation, Derrick Kiser, founder of nonprofit Fresh Start and cofounder of the former gang Kilby Street Posse

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