James Smallwood tears up when he tells the story of the woman who had her kids waiting in the car as she took a course at The Choice Is Yours, the hands-on training program he runs in the Philadelphia area. Eventually, Smallwood realized they were living in the car.

Through his program, the woman found a job and a home. That's an echo of Smallwood's own journey, from homeless addict to the owner of a construction firm that provides training and opportunities for recovering addicts, ex-offenders, at-risk youth and homeless men and women.