DELLWOOD, Mo. – Dellwood Mayor Reggie Jones needed a new public works employee. He turned to the Save Our Sons and Sisters program at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis for help.

“I knew they have a good reputation of training individuals getting ready for the workforce,” Jones said. He had two sons who completed the program.

That’s how Lamar Johnson, a man wrongly convicted of murder, found his way to apply for the job. After spending 28 years behind for a murder he did not commit, Johnson completed the Save Our Sons program to find employment.

“To see the smile on his face when he came in to let us know that he had the offer was great,” Tydrell Stevens, the program’s regional director, said.

The offer came from the city of Dellwood to fill a vacant position in the city’s public works department. The mayor can’t imagine the toll Johnson’s wrongful conviction took.

“It must have a mental weight on him, but you can’t tell,” Jones said. “I just admire his tenacity to just want to come back in his community and make something of himself.”

Save Our Sons and Sisters is a workforce development program teaching life skills, soft skills, how to get a job, how to keep a job, how to get promoted and how to remain marketable. Wardrobe assistance is also available.

“To see their whole demeanor change after going through our class, after getting the interviews, and after getting hired has been tremendous,” Stevens said.

He said the program has helped thousands of individuals find employment.