We have been spotlighting the accomplishments of EJP alumni recently (see posts about Johnny Page and James Wood) and are happy to feature one of our most recent alumni in this blog. 

Anthony “Milo” Olivieri was released from Danville Correctional Center where he was part of EJP, and now he is living in the city of Danville where he has a strong support system of family and friends. After being out only four months, Milo has already obtained his Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and is driving a semi-truck hauling grain.   

An EJP Emergency Fund provided Milo with $500 to help pay for gas driving back and forth from Danville to Parkland College where he obtained his CDL. “That $500 came in handy. I needed that 500 bucks, that was important,” he says. After getting involved with EJP in 2019, Milo became a library worker in EJP’s community library at the prison, took business classes, and concentrated on computer programming.  

Driving a truck was the “fastest way to make a good wage,” Milo shared. He was incarcerated for 25 years, is forced to be on a registry, and must wear an electronic monitor for three years. “I’m already at the bottom of the barrel of society,” he said. “It’s really hard for people that are on the registry to obtain employment.”  

Milo drives a truck for a farmer, picking up grain after it’s harvested and then driving it to the grain elevator. There it is dried, and then he carries it to be sold. He likes sitting behind the wheel of a big rig. “I can see over the top of everybody,” Milo says. Driving a truck is also very dangerous, “I’m driving a vehicle that weighs 80,000 pounds. I’m pulling out off of country roads onto some main thoroughways, with blind corners. It gives you a newfound respect for what truck drivers do when you become one.” 

“I enjoy learning the food production cycle because I’ve been a lifelong learner,” says Milo. “Right now, I’m literally feeding the world. That’s kind of cool. Seeing the process of how food is grown and distributed throughout the world, how it’s actually done, that’s what I really enjoy.”  

What has been most important for Milo is the support system he has had since returning home. “Without that I’m not sure I would have been able to accomplish what I have so far,” he reflects.  

Milo’s older brother has driven a truck for ten years, and his best friend is also a truck driver. They both encouraged him to take up trucking. His brother lets him drive his car and live with him, rent free. Milo’s best friend helped him pay for his CDL.  

“It’s people putting confidence in me and knowing that I’d be able to succeed, that’s what I have really enjoyed. My family and friends had confidence that I wouldn’t automatically recidivate, and they are willing to invest in me.” 

Keep on trucking Milo, EJP has confidence in you too!