Montez Williams

Montez Williams is a prime example of how determination and resolve can enable someone to turn their life around. At one-time Williams seemed destined for a life behind bars. He estimates being in juvenile detention over a dozen times for everything from carrying firearms to robbery. Then, after meeting many other young men like himself whose childhood had been wasted in negative activities, Williams decided he wanted to change. In addition, he wanted to help others avoid the mistakes he’d made. He founded the Ace Project, a lawn care and household service that employs youth from the identical streets he once roamed. Williams provides them legal ways to earn money and alternatives to hustling and crime. The Ace Project gives these young people economic opportunity and positive role models, something Williams never had. Though only 21 years old, Montez Williams is making a huge difference, while fighting to prevent others from becoming victims of a system that frequently seems stacked against them.