Robert White: The Backbone of Our Cleaning Ambassadors Program

“If you are ready for change and truly want to turn your life around, Called To Serve CDC will help you,” shares Robert White. 

“Pastor Mike and Ms. Price know our horrible backgrounds, yet they do not judge us; they actually advocate for us. They have given us second and third chances. They stand on ‘Your past does not define who you are.’ 

“They really have the patience of Job. I will never forget Ms. Price's words when she hired me: ‘You do not work for us, you are working with us.’ If you look at our daily sign-in time sheet, she has a quote on it that greets us every day: 

‘If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of Heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’ Words of wisdom by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

“I took that quote and ran with it,” says Robert White. 

Robert is a pillar for Called To Serve’s Cleaning Ambassadors, well known in the neighborhood and with our city partners for his dedicated cleaning. He is like the Everready Bunny, energized! He just keeps going and going and going. If you ask any of the Cleaning Ambassadors about Robert’s work ethic, they will say, “Robert is the best worker.” Every day, he makes sure the entire corridor is clean before he signs out. 

Here’s Robert’s story in his own words:

I grew up in a deplorable, dirty neighborhood, laced with poverty and gang wars going on all the time. It was normal to see rodents and roaches running around in our house and on the streets. All five of us slept in the same bed. The trash in our home and people throwing their trash in our backyard became so bad that the city had to come clean it out, and we had to move out of that house. It was so embarrassing and frightening. 
Thank God for my grandmother! She welcomed us with open arms to live with her. Look at God and how I have come full circle with trash! Now I am keeping the neighborhood and the Broad, Germantown, and Erie commercial corridor clean. I can not stand trash or garbage on the streets. It is a painful reminder of how I grew up. I do not want any family, especially the youngins’, to live in filth and unhealthy environments as I did. It is the reason why I work so hard. I really love my job. It is my way of saying “Thank You God”. I dedicate my work unto Him every day.    
 
Robert is the eldest of his four siblings. His father abandoned him at the tender age of seven. Robert had to be the backbone for the family to help his mother. “It was a huge responsibility for me as a young teenager. I was scared. I stayed in survival mode to protect my family and myself. I was not going to let anyone bully us.”  

I joined the United States Navy in 1979 because I was feeling so lost in life with no discipline, structure, or role model. I wanted a better life for myself. We were so poor, and I wanted to help my family financially. I was in the heat and heart of war zones - 120 degrees weather and the belly of death. When Iraq and Iran were at war with each other, I was deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1980, and I was on the USS Voge FF-1047 to escort merchant ships and keep the sea lanes open. I worked long-hour shifts. 
At nighttime, it was hell looking at the oil refineries being blown up and knowing people were being killed. I was homesick, very lonely, petrified, and stressed out. This is what first led me to use drugs as a coping mechanism to deal with the everyday routine on the ship and the nightmares at night. I was sent to San Diego Miramar Air Force Base for rehab. I never had any counseling. I was left to fend for myself. I was given three meals a day and played basketball. After a month and a half staying at Miramar Air Force Base, I received orders to return to Mayport Naval Base in Jacksonville, Florida. I was too afraid to go back. Looking back, I did things I had no control over, and I am not proud of it. Several older veterans told me I should have been medically discharged for being shell-shocked and receive therapy. I was young, and I did not know how to go about applying for benefits. I served in the Navy for three and a half years. I give the utmost respect to all veterans and those in the military. 

Called To Serve hired Robert for the Cleaning Ambassador position in the spring of 2019. Robert lapsed twice with drug addiction. The second time, he was found unconscious from an overdose at a shelter. 

“The second time really scared me. I promised God, if He spared my life and helped me get my job back with Called To Serve, I would never buy any more crack or illegal drugs off the streets. I prayed, and I prayed. God gave me a miracle, and I have not looked back since.” 

The expression of sadness on Robert’s face, as he reminisced with empathy about how he could identify and relate to those suffering with addiction, not in their right frame of mind, living on the streets, and looking for something to eat out of trash cans. “That was me at a point in my life. It truly hurts to see the hopelessness and them living in a valley of despair. I am kind to them, and I share my life story with them to give them hope.”

Robert credits Called to Serve for saving his life. 

They have been my lifeline. My life has been completely changed. Ms. Price worked her magic through networking, and I was given keys to my new apartment in Mt. Airy on December 21, 2021. The area I live in now is beautiful, clean, safe, and quiet. It was an unexpected early Christmas gift to me. I cried like a baby when Ms. Price called me. I am financially responsible. I have never been late with my rent. Ms. Price enrolled me in a program to help with my anger management. That training program was so good. It helped me in so many ways. 
I received my certification in Adult Mental Health First Aid USA in May 2022. Ms. Price helped me get health insurance. I had both of my hips replaced at Temple University Hospital, no longer limping in pain. Temple Hospital treated me so nicely. I am a member of Zion Baptist Church. I start my day off at 6:00 AM on the prayer line. I attend bible study, and I am in church every Sunday for service. I never owned a car. I purchased my very first vehicle on November 1, 2025. 
God has restored my life and used Called To Serve as angels to help me. 
I hope I can be a blessing to my coworkers, sharing my life journey as I try to encourage them to do away with bad and old habits. What do I want for my future? I pray I can continue working for Called To Serve until I retire at the age of seventy. I hope they can get more grants to help people like me, who others would think twice about hiring. Most of us just needed someone to say, “Okay, you made mistakes. You still have your life ahead of you, the sky is the limit, and the world is yours if you put the hard work in.”

Robert appreciates the kindness extended to him by the neighbors and business owners. If you should see Robert on the corridor or in the neighborhood, take time to say hello and thank him for keeping the streets clean. If you want to add a smile to his heart, offer him a bottle of water or hot coffee. 

Mayor Parker’s TCB Cleaning Ambassadors program is a vital part of Called to Serve, along with their city and state partnerships to revitalize the Broad, Germantown, and Erie commercial corridor. Together, we provide education, workforce development, stable employment, and foster hope. 

Thank you, supporters of Called to Serve, for giving a helping hand and second chances to returning citizens by empowering them to get over the systemic hurdles in marginalized communities. It is beyond challenging for them, but a priority that is well worth it