MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A Martin County charity is celebrating a full circle story of success.
Project Lift in Palm City teaches at risk teens vocational training to provide social and emotional support.
Most students are referred to the program by either the judicial system or the school district.
Recently, the charity took over a new building as it works to expand its campus.
With a new building, often comes the need for renovations.
For the first time ever, a graduate of the Project Lift program was given the chance to return and give back to the charity through his new full time job.
Luciano Andres graduated from Project Lift's HVAC program in June 2020 and was hired almost immediately by The Local Guy Air Conditioning in Martin County.
Adres now works as a systems installer.
"Ever since I was in high school, I had it in mind already to HVAC," said Andres. "So, then I came out and went to Project Lift and learned there, then came out in the field and learned more. That's my goal, to keep learning and hopefully later on, do something bigger."
Project Lift offers teens ages 14-21 eleven different vocational programs including, construction, carpentry, welding and more.
The nonprofit works with close to 100 industry partners in the immediate area, providing skilled candidates for jobs in high demand.
While learning at Project Lift, students are also given a paycheck.