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There are so many complimentary things I could say about Chris Williams, and every single one of them would be true. There is something so incredible about his personality, his story and his eagerness to give fully of himself. Chris is only 28 years old, and he already personifies the “spirit of giving.” It’s evident in everything he does, from each project he touches to every word he speaks. Chris recently founded “My 1st Suit,” a non-profit organization created to equip, empower and encourage young men ages 18-26. The mission of the program is to create awareness about young adults’ self-esteem and how it contributes to their daily lives.

The men in the My 1st Suit program will each have an “Apprentice” type experience; each session filled with hands-on activities to enhance their lives—exposure to fine dining, etiquette, business and leadership skills, manhood, creativity and more. At the end of the four-week intensive program, each man will receive his very own custom-made suit as well as exposure to people, places and opportunities he may have only been able to dream of. This is an experience designed to raise the morale of these young men, who for whatever reason, may have been forgotten by the system; this will give them that all important second chance to get their life on track, feel good about themselves and be better men.

My 1st Suit was birthed from Chris’ own life experiences. It’s a common story, Chris was raised by a single mother - his father completely absent from his life - and had less than ideal male role models to learn about manhood. The difference is Chris made the choice not to let his circumstances dictate the type of man he was going to be. In 2002, Chris met his mentor. That’s when his world truly changed.

The idea for My 1st Suit came in 2008 when his mentor surprised him with a gift, his own custom suit—a first for Chris. The entire process: getting measured, having someone invest that type of time and resources into him truly sparked something within him. Chris began to write about how touched he was by the gift and his feelings during the entire process. Chris soon realized that experience should be something that every young man should share. One of the mottos of My 1st Suit is “often it only takes one bad experience to derail a person, but it only takes one good experience to change someone’s life forever.” Truer words have never been spoken; Chris uses his story, his voice to lift someone up every moment of his life. He doesn’t do this for recognition or fame; he does it because he cares. This man inspires me, and I want the entire world to be just as inspired.