Philadelphia native and World War II veteran Charlie Baker III is a true architect of second chances for thousands of Philadelphians, writes Kristen Mosbrucker-Garza for WHYY.

Baker, who turns 100 this month, is co-founder of Baker Industries and has helped more than 12,000 adults rebuild their lives and reenter the workforce after major struggles such as disability, addiction recovery, or incarceration.

“Most companies don’t want to hire people like that,” said Baker.

Such rejections felt personal to him. His youngest son, Justin, has lived with epilepsy and seizures that were triggered by a traumatic brain injury since childhood, making it hard to work outside the home.

In 1980, Baker and his late wife Louise founded an organization providing alternative employment options for special needs adults, operating out of their Stafford garage.

“The idea was that we would introduce the most basic elements of work,” said Baker. “For instance, showing up on time.”

Today, Baker Industries is headquartered in Malvern and operates a Kensington warehouse.

The warehouse employs assembly line workers who put together various products with precision and consistency. These range from medication packaging to mini-muffins and much more. Most workers stay for around a year, and after they learn new skills, they are ready to move on.

Read more about Charlie Baker III and his life-changing work at WHYY.