As he reached the midpoint of a 14-year sentence for kidnapping – the result of a domestic dispute gone horribly wrong – John Johnson was languishing in a prison cell, mulling the mistakes, missteps and regrets of his life.
It was then the Flint native was afforded a sliver of hope upon connecting with someone who had lived his experience, but was completely transforming his life after serving seven years for drug and weapons charges.
Less than five full years following his 2010 release, Leon El-Alamin, who entered prison as Leon Wilson before converting to Islam, founded MADE Institute in Flint with help from fellow former inmate, Tim Abdul-Matin.
Standing for Money, Attitude, Direction and Education, MADE’s major mission is to guide those intent on transitioning from cells to successful lives through various programs and initiatives. El-Alamin and Johnson began a correspondence not long after MADE’s launch.
“Leon was just getting started when I found out about MADE and the more I learned about him and his story, I was inspired about what could be possible when I got out,” Johnson recalls. “I saw how MADE was growing and really helping people.”
As his release date neared, an encouraged Johnson began drawing up post-incarceration goals and aspirations on paper. Finally, in early 2023, he tasted freedom and began taking advantage of what MADE offers. He became part of a crew gaining hands-on skills by renovating some of the organization’s transition houses and moving into one of them.
“We’re always excited to see this collaborative and tireless work lifting up Flint. It’s very important to serve such a vulnerable population.”
Leon El-Alamin
MADE partners with the Genesee County Land Bank to find and renovate the homes where those reentering society can stay for 90 days while participating in some of MADE’s other programs.
Johnson especially appreciated the Life Skills program which teaches everything from navigating an employment search with a criminal record, to keeping a calm attitude and the importance of good communication, time management and financial literacy.
Johnson furthered his skill set through MADE’s urban farming program which includes working in several hoop houses and entrepreneurial training should participants desire to start their own farming operations.
“I feel very fortunate to have benefitted from what Leon and MADE are doing and have no idea what I would have done once I got out of prison without them,” Johnson says. “I immediately felt a support structure around me and could see what was possible for my life. I gained so much useful knowledge and skills for the real world I was getting back into.”
These days, the 43-year-old Johnson is living on his own in one of MADE’s mixed-use houses – with a distinct, burgundy front porch he helped construct – and holds a steady factory job while continuing to receive support from all that MADE offers.
With enthusiasm in his voice, Johnson also speaks regularly with newcomers to MADE programs about how crucial a role they have played in his life.
“I stress to them how important it is to appreciate and take advantage of the real second chance MADE gives people and that awesome things will happen if they stick with the programs,” he says. “I hope sharing my story will reverberate with people needing help and give them some hope. I’m honored and humbled whenever I’m asked by MADE to do that.”
Johnson is just one of MADE’s many success stories. To date, more than 1,250 individuals have benefitted from its services which are also geared toward at-risk youth and veterans needing assistance with returning to civilian life.
“I’m very proud and thankful for all we have achieved through hard work and dedication and earning the support of residents in the community and all the great organizations that believe in what we are doing and partner with us to make it possible,” El-Alamin says. “We’re always excited to see this collaborative and tireless work lifting up Flint. It’s very important to serve such a vulnerable population.”
El-Alamin’s work has been regularly recognized along the way. Last year, he was named Humanitarian of the Year by the Total Life Prosperity Community Development Corporation and received a 2022 Michigan Founders Fund Community Trailblazers Award.
A 1999 Flint Northwestern grad, El-Alamin has also been honored with the Changemaker of the Year award from the National Clean Water Collective for extensive efforts during the height of the Flint Water Crisis when MADE arranged for and distributed donations of bottled water. The organization also submitted water samples to Wayne State University scientists for Legionnaires’ disease testing.
“I’m grateful for all the recognition and belief in my vision to provide an absolute, necessary service after the barriers I dealt with trying to restart my life after prison,” El-Alamin says. “There are so many people in Flint with felony convictions on their records who need hope that they can overcome where they have been. We can’t ignore such a great need and must continue to address the effects of mass incarceration.”
MADE does its work with a team of roughly 30 staff members, board members and volunteers.
“When you look at reasons for our success, our dedicated board of directors, staff and the volunteers we have is a big one,” El-Alamin says. “We have an amazing and diverse team of professionals who always provide great input to help our cause.”
Obviously, nothing would be possible without the fundraising ability of El-Alamin and his team. MADE is fueled by generous grants and donations. Last year, the organization received a nearly $300,000 grant from Islamic Relief USA.
The money has been mostly used for purchasing additional houses to eventually bring the total of MADE’s transitional and mixed-use housing units to 15, and for work on the organization’s commercial building. One facility will house young adults who have aged out of the foster care system.
“Our goal is to help our clients attain a basic standard of living and obviously, housing is a big part of that because a former inmate’s chances of being homeless is greater,” El-Alamin says. “Renovating the homes is a big part of our skilled trades program and our transitional housing gives people an immediate place to stay. When they get out of prison, there is a short window of time to help them stay on the right path.”
El-Alamin added that people like Johnson are then eligible to move into MADE’s mixed-use housing if they meet certain standards while residing in transitional housing.
“That makes it easier for folks like John to continue doing the right things,” he says. “We don’t want anyone to get off track once their 90 days in transitional housing is done.”
For Johnson, opening the door to a house he helped bring to life through MADE is a special feeling.
“It’s so different than if I just moved into some apartment that I had no real connection to,” he shares. “This home is a reminder of how far I’ve come and what I’m working toward.”
One of MADE’s newest initiatives – a Residential Carpenter Specialist Registered Apprenticeship Program – was launched earlier this year. In partnership with GST Michigan Works, the program provides the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue a career in the carpentry industry.
Likewise, MADE’s Green Workforce Development Program, with funding from the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, provides training for green energy jobs. The program combines on-the-job training in green carpentry and lead abatement with classroom environmental literacy instruction.
MADE’s Google Career Certificate Scholarship Program began last year, providing a way for enrollees to become certified in fields like cybersecurity, data analytics, project management, IT support, UX design and digital marketing & e-commerce.
MADE also offers a health and wellness program and an entrepreneurship program consisting of weekly gatherings of MADE participants with top-tier executives and university professors who teach and mentor them.
A social justice program which facilitates the healing and reintegration process for individuals leaving prison and those impacted by violence and MADE’s digital technology program is designed to empower individuals with the necessary digital technology skills to succeed in today’s job market. MADE’s workforce development initiatives focus on equipping participants with the skills and resources to enter long-term careers in high-demand industries.
Among the other agencies MADE partners with to allow all these programs to flourish are LISC Flint, Ruth Mott Foundation, Mott Community College, Kettering University, United Way and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.
Recently, El-Alamin found yet another way to serve Flint when he was appointed to fill the 1st Ward City Council seat left vacant by the sudden death of Eric Mays in February.
In late March, Leon El-Alamin was appointed to fill the 1st Ward City Council seat left vacant by the sudden death of Eric Mays in February.
Political office is something El-Alamin has long aspired to, even prior to MADE’s founding. He ran for City Council in 2012 and the Flint School Board in 2014, garnering 4,000 votes, as people began to notice how serious he is about helping the city.
“I’m excited to be a fresh set of eyes and ears on the City Council to address all the problems of the 1st Ward and the city as a whole,” says El-Alamin, who is also serving a five-year term on the Flint Housing Commission. “In the past, we’ve had too many politicians giving people who live in that area false hope about making things better. We have to seriously tackle issues like widespread blight and violence.”
El-Alamin intends to retain the seat through the August primary and November general election while keeping his foot firmly on the accelerator when it comes to the work of MADE.
As of 2021, he is no longer a convicted felon, the result of sweeping clean slate laws passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Still, El-Alamin’s body holds reminders of his former life of cocaine dealing, running with the Pierson neighborhood gang and frequent violence.
Taking a bullet to the head during a gang turf war put El-Alamin in a month-long coma and left him deaf in one ear and with shrapnel in his skull. A scar runs down his head. It’s all chronicled in his autobiography, Tears Dry & Wounds Heal: The Story of My Life, which was published last year.
John Johnson is forever grateful for his connection with MADE.
“I’m an only child, so Leon has been like the big brother I never had,” he says. “He’s a wise leader guiding people through difficult things in their lives. I don’t want to think about where I would be without him and MADE.”
