Man looks to pour back into Lowcountry community following prison release

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A man in the Lowcountry is looking to pour back into his community.

He says after 26 years of incarceration, Marcus Parker is returning to the community and has begun a non-profit for at-risk youth.

Locked up at 18-- Parker says he was a student athlete in Ridgeland who said he made some bad choices along the way--- admitting that’s what sent him to prison.

He says, but while he was away, he accessed tools and strategies for at-risk youth.

He created a fraternity within the college in prison, I Kappa Phi fraternity. All to help work with teens on character, education and crime prevention.

He’s hoping now that he’s released, this fraternity/non-profit can be used as a tool in Jasper and the surrounding communities to keep young kids out of incarceration

“I think that it’s important because the last thing I would want to see is one other young man, whether white or black, in the areas of Jasper County to make a poor choice and have his life altered from one poor choice, as I did when I was a teenager,” said Parker.

“I will also give credit to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, A lot of the staff and administration there who have given me the tools and opportunities to basically implement I Kappa Phi among college students there,” explained Parker.

Several keynote speakers also attended Parker’s homecoming, in addition to tons of family and friends.

Stay tuned for details on how you can get involved.