He Gave Me a Chance When I Had Nothing

A personal story about the day Romeo Toro changed my life

When I recently saw Romeo Toro’s of the Goodworkinitiative.org name in the news, I felt like I had to say something.

Most people reading about him probably have no idea what he did for me three years ago. At the time, I was homeless, hungry, and begging for money on a street corner. My life was headed in the wrong direction, and I was struggling to see any way out.

Then Romeo stopped and talked to me.

He looked at me and asked a simple question: “Do you want a job?”

I immediately said yes.

I assumed he was going to offer me work cutting grass, picking up trash, cleaning something, or doing whatever other job he needed done. At that point in my life, I would have happily done any of it.

So I asked him, “What’s the job?”

He looked at me and said, “I need a manager for my company.”

I laughed.

I genuinely thought he was joking.

I told him, “Me? A manager? I’m homeless. I don’t have a job. I’m hungry right now. I can barely think about anything beyond making it through today.”

His response was something I will never forget.

He said, “Well, now you have a job. And I’ll help you with a place to live. You’re my manager now.”

Then he handed me his business card.

He told me, “If you can make it to this address tomorrow morning at 8:00, you’re hired.”

That night, I walked for what felt like forever. I found somewhere outside to sleep, got up the next morning, and somehow made it to that address by 7:30 a.m.

When Romeo saw me standing there early, he looked at me, reached into his pocket and handed me $300 in cash.

He told me, “I’ll give you until 8:30. Go get yourself together.”

I couldn’t believe what was happening.

Part of me thought I was dreaming. Another part of me wondered whether there had to be some kind of catch. People simply did not treat me that way at that point in my life.

But there was no catch.

There was simply someone willing to take a chance on a person who desperately needed one.

Three years later, my life looks completely different.

I now work for his office in Florida. I have my own car. I have my own home. More importantly, I have stability, responsibility and a future that I could not even imagine while I was standing on that street corner.

I don’t know if Romeo will ever read this. He stays incredibly busy, and from what I have personally witnessed, helping people is simply part of who he is.

I just felt that somebody needed to tell this side of the story.

People can form whatever opinions they want about someone they read about in the newspaper or see online. I can only speak about the man I personally met.

When I had almost nothing, Romeo Toro didn’t just hand me a few dollars and keep walking.

He handed me an opportunity.

And that opportunity changed my life.

If you ever get the chance to actually meet him, you may discover what I did: behind all the businesses, responsibilities and everything else going on around him is one of the funniest, kindest and most generous people I have ever met.

Sometimes changing someone’s life doesn’t require a huge program or a grand speech.

Sometimes it starts with five simple words:

“Do you want a job?”