Marco Whittaker Gives Back as a Fortune Flyer

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Marco Whittaker's journey with The Fortune Society began in 2019 when he joined as an Employment Services participant and resident at the Castle. Fast forward to 2022, and Marco took on a new challenge: running in the TCS New York City Marathon as a proud Fortune Flyer. Hearing about the opportunity to give back to an organization that played a pivotal role in his life, Marco didn’t hesitate.

“I owe Fortune a lot,” Marco said. “So whatever little bit I can do to represent and help Fortune, I will do it. Ever since I was there, I would say, ‘If there is ever anything I can do for you, let me know.’ When they told me about the marathon, I said, ‘Yeah, why not!’”Marco’s story of transformation began with a three-week job training workshop at Fortune, where he was hired to help maintain the subscription list for incarcerated individuals receiving the bi-annual publication, Fortune News. His dedication and drive didn’t go unnoticed, and soon he was encouraged to apply for the prestigious Fortune Fellowship at Bloomberg—a 16-week program designed to further the professional development of justice-involved individuals.

“Since Bloomberg, everything changed. It opened so many doors for me. I became a lead inspector for the state, and now I own my own company and do subcontracts with the city,” Marco explained. “I’m going back to college now. I have two daughters. I’ve come a long way. When I was applying for jobs, they didn’t care what else was on my resume—when they see Bloomberg, they know I can be a good employee."

Though Marco has since moved out of the Castle and into his own home, he continued to stay connected with his Fortune family, often visiting friends and attending the Thursday night community meetings. It was at one of these meetings that he first heard about the chance to run as a Fortune Flyer.  “My favorite thing at Fortune is the Thursday night meeting. There are so many energies there. You get to share information, and I believe the only way humans grow is through human interaction. I know if I go there, and if I feel a little lethargic, I leave there feeling amazing. I know I can do it because if I did it once before, I can do it again,” Marco said.

Although Marco had never run a marathon before, he knew he was up for the challenge. Beyond the physical feat, he was excited to reconnect with the people who knew him during his time at Fortune and to show them just how far he had come.“I’m excited for when people at Fortune see me running. They’ll get to say, ‘I remember that kid,’ and they’ll see how far I’ve come,” he said. “I still can’t believe how far I’ve come, even though I know there’s still a long way to go.”

Marco remains deeply grateful for the impact that Fortune had on his life and was thrilled to have the chance to fundraise through his marathon run, giving others the same opportunities he received. “They helped me so much. Every day I was there, I thought, ‘This place is amazing.’ I’m just ecstatic to be doing something for them after all these years.”