Honeybees Sweeten the Lives of Ex-Offenders

Thanks to bee-boy Thew for sending a link to a marvelous Chicago Tribune video about Sweet Beginnings, an economic development program that uses beekeeping as a path to a better life for ex-offenders and others who face barriers to attaining employment that pays a living wage.

I've been meaning to write about Sweet Beginnings for some time, since services that enable ex-offenders to rebuild their lives is a particular interest of mine. In the video, Gerald Whitehead, one of the men who has transformed into a beekeeper through his involvement with Sweet Beginnings, has this to say:

"I'm reconstructing my whole life, just like the bees that have to reconstruct their hive, the honeycomb, to prepare for the next stage—that's what I'm doing with my life."

Read the accompanying Trib article, The Felons and the Bees.

And meet some more of the people whose lives have been changed by honeybees and Sweet Beginnings.