The early years of Robert Alsbrooks’ life did not bode well for him or for anyone around him. As a 17-year-old drug dealer he had a flashy car, cash to burn and a reputation for being dangerous. That reputation was proved out when he was sentenced to seven years for shooting a rival dealer.

Now, he’s a dad, a computer programmer, the founder of a nonprofit that’s transforming his old neighborhood, and co-founder of another one that’s bringing hope and change to communites in Africa. All the energy and drive Alsbrooks once put into dealing is now focused on making positive change in the world, despite the ever-present lure of illegal money and the constant taunts of neighborhood tough guys.

Alsbrooks says prison was a huge wakeup-call, describing the emotional impact of seeing hundreds of black men behind cell bars. He determined that he would break free from the life that could put him back behind bars again and again, like his fellow inmates.

When he returned to his Philadelphia neighborhood, Alsbrooks caught the attention of the late Giraffe Hero Herman Wrice, who knew a potential community activist when he saw one. Wrice said that Alsbrooks had come out of prison without bitterness and determined to do right.