Freedom Fighting Missionaries (FFM) was founded during a very critical period in Kenny Robinson’s life. FFM began because Kenny did not want those who were returning from jails and prisons to face the struggles he experienced. Upon his God-ordained release in 2012 after serving a 10-year federal sentence, he had a difficult time securing employment as a result of his criminal background. After seeking assistance and support from more than a dozen non-profit organizations, Kenny received more than 40 consecutive employment rejections before finally receiving a “yes” from Goodwill Industries. After accepting the offer from Goodwill Industries that included a $7.25 hourly wage, he was then able to begin his own path to self-sufficiency with the drive to support his five children. This motivation led to an emerging opportunity in the automotive industry where he worked as a car salesman with the Mazda company. Kenny quickly advanced to become a leader in the automotive industry and was identified as being a “top salesman”. Over the course of 7 years, Kenny was promoted to the role of finance manager and then to sales manager. Kenny was able to use his talents to work for brands such as “BMW, Hyundai and Honda”. During the course of his career, he used his hiring skills and abilities to train and hire those with a criminal background and became recognized in the community for assisting those who face employment barriers as result of their background. Kenny was able to assist over a dozen people to reach self sufficiency. 

     As Kenny’s career progressed, he made the decision to retire from the automotive industry in order to pursue his passion of helping others. On January 1, 2020, Kenny created a non-profit organization and pursued related outreach efforts full-time that emphasized the value of outreach and “second chances”. Kenny was given a great opportunity to work with a local, gracious non-profit in Charlotte, North Carolina. This organization took the time to invest in him by teaching “what he needed to know to go out on his own”. At the time of the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the murder of George Floyd, Kenny experienced a 90% surge in community demand for support. WIth limited resources, he was forced to “spring into action” and accelerate his non-profit operations through the expansion of services to assist populations such as: the elderly, those who experienced homelessness, those with criminal backgrounds coupled with a disability.

​     To date, Kenny has received millions dollars in grant funds, created dozens of partnerships and received numerous awards. FFM was the first reentry organization led by a formerly incarcerated person in NC to receive housing choice vouchers (Section) specifically for justice involved families and has successfully housed 18 families utilizing vouchers. Kenny, along with the FFM team and community partners, continue to serve the community by helping those who were formerly incarcerated and those who are criminal justice involved by advocating for change. Most importantly, the team is driven to inspire the world to wholeheartedly believe in the “power of second chances”.

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Kenny Robinson, Founder.