Finding a job after prison can be difficult. One local man was able to do that and now he’s looking for teenagers to help along the way.

Youngstown’s Lamar Adams is not only improving people’s yards, but he’s now hoping to teach others not to make the same mistakes he did.

“Whatever seed you plant — whether it is good or bad — it is going to grow,” he said.

Adams has a message to spread.

“I just wanna show people there’s a better way,” he said.

He spent four years in prison for felonious assault. During that time, Adams said he learned he doesn’t want to live that way.

“Every day I told myself, ‘I can’t come back, I can’t come back. No matter how hard it gets out here, I can’t do anything that brings me back to this place.'”

Adams got out of prison in 2016 and with the help of United Returning Citizens, he was able to start URC Lawncare. He cuts grass, trims weeds and picks up branches when the weather is nice. During the winter, he does snow removal and works inside homes.

Adams said he’s been able to grow his clientele, but now he’d like others to help him out.

“My target employees is the youth, kids and ex-felons.”

He said his offense was out of character for him. Regardless, it taught him a lesson. Now he’s turning a negative into a positive.

“I mean, the time I did in prison, even though I hated every second of that, it brought me to where I am now,” Adams said. “So even though it was a bad situation, it ended good.”

You can reach out to Lamar Adams by emailing urclawncare@gmail.com.