Albert Boscov’s vision for the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Reading was to build more than a hotel; it was to rebuild the community. Through his partnership with Craig Poole and Reading Hospitality Management, and with the willingness to grant a few second chances, that dream has come to life.
Alonzo Cooper: Houseman
Today Alonzo works as a Houseman for the hotel, but three years ago when he first walked through the doors of the DoubleTree, his life was very different. He had just returned to Reading from prison and was looking for work.
Alonzo battled substance abuse issues from an early age, and his use led to breaking the law. “That was my story on and off for a long time. In my heart I really had a desire to change, but I didn’t know how,” he reveals. The last time was different. “I was tired of letting myself down, tired of letting my loved ones and family down, and I made a commitment to myself that I was going to change. I made a concrete plan; I set goals for myself, and I’ve been doing it every day since I walked out of those doors.”
That plan started with finding work, a mission accomplished after only a brief conversation with Poole in the hotel lobby. “It’s been a blessing ever since. Mr. Poole has been a real example, a real role model, and like a mentor to me,” Alonzo says.
The Power of Focus
Employment was only the beginning for Alonzo. He enrolled at Reading Area Community College (RACC) with the goal of earning his associate degree in human services and addiction studies. This year, he will graduate with a perfect GPA and is transferring to Alvernia University to start work on his bachelor’s degree in behavioral health with the goal of becoming a counselor. “I have a passion for helping troubled youth and people with substance abuse issues,” he says.
In the meantime, Alonzo is already changing lives. He is a Certified Recovery Specialist and motivational speaker, working with people in the same place he was in not so long ago. He volunteers his time in state prisons, sharing stories of his past and how he made a change. “I encourage, motivate and try to inspire those individuals who are returning to society to make the same change,” Alonzo says. His message? Focus. “It takes extreme FOCUS to change,” he shares. “You have to follow one course until successful.”
When Alonzo isn’t working or volunteering, he’s coaching youth basketball and spending time with his son. “I’m not ashamed to tell my story because I’ve learned that my past doesn’t define who I am today,” he says. “My past is things that I’ve done and mistakes that I’ve made, but it’s not who I am. Who I am is the person that people see today.”
Kim Bowman: Banquet Captain
After serving a two-year sentence, Kim Bowman moved into transitional housing at the YMCA and secured work as a banquet server at the Crowne Plaza Reading, Wyomissing, where she found — under Poole’s direction — an unexpected opportunity. “They really worked with me and my requirements for the YMCA; they were very supportive,” Kim says. “Mr. Poole would come around and hug me every morning!”
That kind of support was new to Kim, who had found herself making poor choices as a result of her addiction. “I wasn’t into drugs my whole life like some people are,” she explains. “My ex-husband was very abusive emotionally and physically, and I ended up turning to drugs after my kids were out of school. I guess[I viewed] it was a way out.”
She found the help she needed with the counselors at the YMCA, and the stability of her job kept Kim on her road to recovery. So when she was asked to join the DoubleTree as Banquet Captain, she was hesitant to make the change. “Leaving the job I knew for six years was scary to me; that was part of me getting clean,” she admits. But nearly a year later she made the move and now loves her job more than ever. She loves her sobriety even more and will be nine years clean in July. “I can’t imagine ever doing drugs again,” she says. “I like my life the way it is.”
Paying it Forward
The support Kim found in transitional housing was so impactful that she has made it her mission to share it with others. After attending a luncheon to benefit the Clare of Assisi House, a new transitional housing project for women in Reading, Kim approached executive director Robin Ball and said, “I really don’t have any money to donate, but I can donate my time.”
With that time, Kim raised money and awareness for the house, approaching businesses for sponsorships and attending City Hall meetings to garner community support. She even helped write the rule book. “My background with the rules at the YMCA came in very handy! And it was kind of cool to be on the other side of it,” she jokes.
Kim continues to share her story at events and fundraisers for the organization. “If I can reach out to help someone else with my position and where I’ve been, then I feel like I need to do that,” she says.
Luis Diaz: Assistant Chief Engineer
When Luis came home from his incarceration, it took him a long time to find work. His brother, who was a chef at the Crowne Plaza Reading, helped him land a position as a banquet server. “I wasn’t really into hospitality, you know?” he admits. “It was just a job for a paycheck.”
All that changed when Poole took over. “He made moves; he helped people grow,” Luis remembers. “He changed my life.” Luis had been struggling to make hours and was extremely shy. Craig helped him to see things differently. “He made me feel like I had a purpose. I never had that kind of role model in my life. It was always the streets.”
Luis started to look for new opportunities in the hotel, and when Craig needed help with maintenance, he was the first to volunteer. “When Craig started seeing what I was capable of and what a quick learner I was, he started putting me everywhere,” he recalls. Luis learned several positions throughout the hotel, and within eight months moved permanently into maintenance. “My life changed; I loved what I was doing; I started meeting people and started to open up.” When Luis learned of the opportunity at the DoubleTree, he jumped at that, too.
He assisted in coordinating required inspections and licenses before the hotel opened and started day one as an engineer. Within six months, he was promoted to Assistant Chief Engineer and is now responsible for a small team and the day-to-day maintenance required to keep the building running smoothly. “This is a big position for me; I never thought I would be where I am now, and I’m so grateful,” Luis says. “I love working for the hospitality system now, and I want to stay here as long as I can. I want to see how high I can get.”
Leading the Change
Once shy and removed, Luis is now the Community Relations Leader for the hotel’s Care Committee and works with a large team that volunteers all over the city. The committee regularly partners with local nonprofits and businesses to support a variety of food, clothing and toy drives benefitting various causes throughout Reading.
The DoubleTree’s staff and Care Committee are Al Boscov’s dream come to life. “Just knowing that we’re impacting people and that people are talking about it is definitely making a change for the city,” Luis says. “I hope it continues. I hope more people jump in to help out.”
Changing Lives Through Love
Each of these success stories was facilitated by Craig Poole’s passion to help those around him, but he would tell you that it’s the people of Reading, and his staff at the DoubleTree, that are responsible for the change.
As President of Reading Hospitality Management and the General Manager of the DoubleTree Reading, Craig is responsible for building and maintaining the culture at the hotel. He has been working in hospitality for nearly 40 years and specializes in inner-city projects. “I understand the people who live in inner cities,” he explains, and to change a city you need to start with the people living in it. “You can make a big impact by giving people a second chance. That’s my heart, and that was Albert’s heart.”
Through his work at the hotel, Craig is giving the City of Reading a second chance. Of the hotel’s 220 employees, nearly 200 can walk to work. At least 80 of them have a prior record. “Our mission was to build a hotel that would make a difference in downtown Reading and to the citizens living there. To help build Reading back to where it’s supposed to be,” he explains. Based on these three stories alone, Craig and his team are well on their way to fulfilling that mission.
