Men Built for Others: Life Lessons from Those Serving Life Sentences

Men Built for Others, is an emotionally sobering, eye-opening, and powerfully engaging compilation of the harrowing journeys one can take when we fail to value ourselves and others. Men Built for Others is uncensored, vulnerably raw, and insightful. Men Built for Others, was written to atone for their egregious wrongdoings and prove that hope can flourish anywhere. Men Built for Others, can transform lives and open the minds of the hardest of hearts. If you're dealing with adversity, destructive habits, or perhaps desperately trying to help an incarcerated loved one; this is a powerful book showing how one can transform life's worst setbacks into miraculous comebacks and be happy regardless of where they are.

The eleven true stories are edited and compiled by Ted Gray, Richard Mireles, Jason Bryant, and Matthew Braden while they were serving life sentences in the Soledad State Prison in Soledad, California. They learned that they had the capacity to transform the culture of prison and impact our their world significantly. Today, along with their colleague, Ken Oliver, they are Directors of the CROP Organization. CROP Organization is directed by their proximate leadership and over 110 years of experience within the criminal justice system. Creating Restorative Opportunities and Program's mission is to reimagine reentry through a holistic, human-centered approach to advocacy, housing, and the future of work. Their purpose is to transform lives and heal communities by creating integrated pathways to economic mobility, personal leadership, and civic engagement. CROP Organization is a non-profit 501(c)(3).

As a health care management graduate of California Coast University with a Master of Arts in organizational leadership, Ted brings over 20 years of lived experience and program administration skills within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).During his incarceration, Ted established CROP Organization with help from his father, Mitch Gray, as well as a think tank within restorative institutions called Inside Solutions, which worked collaboratively with CROP to honor the mission of transforming the culture of prison.Having helped to successfully develop and implement an Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) certification program, dozens of leadership seminars and trainings, and a scholarship, Ted has proven himself to be a gifted leader. He is at his best when he is building collaborative partnerships with organizations in order to build restorative, leadership, and career development opportunities.Ted's hard work resulted in him not only becoming a state-certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor who received senatorial recognition for his contributions, but also to receiving a gubernatorial commutation ordering his immediate release from incarceration.Today Ted is the Executive Director of CROP Organization. Creating Restorative Opportunities and Program's mission is to restore lives through personal and professional transformation. CROP Organization is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that is redefining re-entry for people stepping out of prison and into a brighter future for themselves and for their community.