Article: After years on the street, they mark a new beginning Thirty graduates of the Ready, Willing & Able program have turned their lives around, vowing to leave their personal demons behind.

Byline: Joseph A. Slobodzian

Apr. 22--Two years ago, recalled Ahmed Fletcher, he was one of those men passersby avoided: dirty, smelly, befuddled by booze or drugs and looking for handouts. Last night, beaming in a neatly tailored gray suit, he said he was "in a world I never imagined." He was center stage at the New Freedom Theater in Center City, and he was valedictorian for the the Class of 2006 of the Philadelphia homeless program Ready, Willing & Able. "Mama, your son is back," Fletcher, 47, called out to the house, after expressing his regret that she died in 2003 never knowing of his rebirth after 20 years on the street. Fletcher was one of 30 ...

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