The men that make up the Ready, Willing & Working (RWW) team achieve new levels of personal and professional success every day. They work hard to keep Capitol Hill clean and beautiful while learning the skills to enable them to become productive citizens.

Robert Mason came to RWW like so many do- desperate and homeless, but willing to make personal changes. His goal was to begin what he describes as his “second life.”

Robert says he had already lived a nice “first life.” His childhood was spent between the hills of the Allegheny plateau in Western Pennsylvania and the south lands of South Carolina. He joined the Navy as a young man, and had a beautiful wife and son (who is now an adult). That life began to unravel when his wife became ill. As her caretaker, Robert turned to alcohol for solace. When she died, his means of solace became an addiction and his life spun out of control.

His “second life” began when he joined RWW as a member of the Capitol Hill BID clean team. He says RWW has given him the opportunity he was looking for. “It makes you feel like you have a future.” By helping him take control of his addiction and set goals that he had come to think unachievable, in November 2009, Robert Mason graduated from Everest College with a Medical Assistance certificate.

Upon graduation, Mason continued to work for the BID part time while eagerly interviewing for various caregiver positions and took numerous courses to complete his certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). He is now employed by Georgetown University Hospital as a CNA in post-surgery and recovery.