As many students are gearing up to add college graduate to their resume, two students are going a step further to add something a little different — business owners.

As many students are gearing up to add college graduate to their resume, two students are going a step further to add something a little different — business owners.

Sawand Belcher, senior political science major and Jared Henderson, senior liberal studies major are now in the process of building a non-profit halfway house for ex-criminal offenders in Plymouth, N.C.

“I’ve always had the dream of starting my own non-profit program,” said Henderson. “Especially in a place where it’s needed in America.”

Set to open in August 2013, the duo has branded the company Mending Men LLC as a way to provide a safe haven for ex-criminals to get the counseling and support they need as they are returned to society.

The idea sprung up a few months ago when Belcher was debating what to do with the land he inherited seven years ago after his grandfather died. From the beginning, he has been paying taxes on an empty lot.

“This past year, I was tired of paying taxes on it and not making any profit,” said Belcher. “I told Jared we needed to form a business that could create some type of revenue, and what better way than start a non-profit.”

For Henderson, this was an idea that hit close to home. He has always had the desire to start a company that would give back to the community, and in 2010 when he had his own run-in with the law, it gave him all the more motivation to take on Belcher’s idea.

“I had a warrant out for my arrest for more than a year for a missed court date for a traffic ticket, and I had no idea about it,” he said. “I was arrested on campus and couldn’t afford to bail myself out so I spent the night in jail.”

Although he says this was not a life-altering experience, he says while talking with other inmates he realized thatthere was a need for guidance for these men.

“One guy said it was his third time here, and was serving a 15 to 20 year stint,” he said. “I was thinking I didn’t even want to be here 24 hours. It sparked in me how I could educate my brothers, my black brothers about how to stay out of that environment, how not to go back.”

For months these two seniors who are set to graduate in December have researched, organized, planned and plotted their strategy to start their first business. By getting help from family and friends, there are now confident in the plan they have started.

“We didn’t really realize how much work it would really take to put this in place,” said Henderson. “We knew we had to do some research and put in a lot of work to find funding, but it just really takes a lot.”

Plymouth is about three and a half hours away from Greensboro. It is the place not only where Belcher calls a second home, but also a place where there is little to no community-enriched programs for its citizens.

“There’s a real need there,” said Henderson. “We focus more on helping men, and in that area, there is not much guidance nor male role models for guys who are coming out of prison.”

In conjunction with the department of criminal investigation, Belcher and Henderson will hold interviews for convicts who have served at least a six-year term. From there, they will choose 16 clients to live in the house.

While in the program they hope to transform these offender’s lives and make them hard-working citizens. By giving them the tools they need to live a productive and law-abiding lifestyle, they hope to wane a growing population from being on both sides of a jail cell.

“The first two weeks they will not be working, instead [undergoing] strictly counseling,” said Belcher. “They will be working around the half-way house, so they can get acclimated to the normal community life setting, and in those two weeks they will also be looking for a job.”

Although their goal is to help those ex-convicts in need, not all criminals meet the requirements of their program. To prevent more problems within the house, Belcher explained that they are thinking about instilling an age requirement of 28 years. They also said they will only take men who have committed most felonies except for sex crimes.

Both Belcher and Henderson are in their early 20’s, and although neither of them has dealt with ex-criminals on an extensive basis, they both are eager about their new business venture.

“When I share the idea with people, they’re excited for us,” said Belcher. “We’re young, we’re black, and we want to do something positive for the community.”

This week, the business partners have launched their companies website with hopes to draw in more donors. Although they have their foot in the door, they say they have a long way to go.

“We can help men, and change that area,” said Henderson. “It’s a stepping stone for what we really want to expand throughout the whole North Carolina area.”

For more information about Mending Men visit www.mendingmenllc.com

-kcmccrae and follow me on Twitter @Kelcie_McCrae

• Kelcie McCrae, Editor in Chief