The G.E.T Foundation, (Gaining Everyday Tools) a not-for-profit organization was birthed from the pain of experience, and a God-given servant’s heart. At the age of 13 and reading at a third-grade level, Gerald E. Taylor dropped out of school. He began washing cars, shoveling snow, and performing odd jobs. Due to money being scarce, he began selling drugs at a tender age to help his mother make ends meet and to assist providing the bare necessities for the household. Watching his single mother face hard times and Gerald’s father being absent from the home--her loving son had to do something about it. Gerald thought that selling drugs and making money was helping his mom, but in reality it was hurting him. He, the drug dealer became the drug user.​

 

The life he lead resulted with him being sent to the penitentiary in 1994. From that moment on, he vowed that this would be his first and last time in the system, and a second chance to get it right. It was while serving that sentence in a Virginia penitentiary that Mr. Taylor decided to devote his life to helping others following his release, leaving his troublesome past behind.  He promised to become a voice and a guide for those whose lives and issues he understood all too well, for he had lived them. God granted him freedom in 1996 after 2 years of incarceration, it was then that the G.E.T FOUNDATION was on its way to being born.

    

Gerald decided to break the generational curse of drugs and change the course of his life; realizing his gift to help others and knowing that if he could change, anyone can change. He worked several different jobs and began using his personal finances to assist the homeless citizens he encountered along with helping those battling addiction, even sending many of them to Wayside Treatment Center in Louisville, Kentucky. He covered transportation costs from Richmond, VA to the facility in Louisville, where a connection/partnership with a former recipient of his assistance received these hopeful recoverees to begin their “hand up.”’  

 

The seed he’d planted sprouted in one of the very persons he’d supported--Byron Williamson.

 

Byron, inspired by Gerald’s generosity and compassion decided to pay it forward, and the partnership came to fruition. Byron currently teaches life lessons, including focusing on financial management and stability to Wayside’s clients. Upon release, Williamson sponsors recoverees, teaching them the very lessons taught to him by Gerald...how to function positively and effectively in today’s society. Byron is now 6 years clean. Gerald wholeheartedly gives Byron credit for being the catalyst for the birth of G.E.T. FOUNDATION. The abundant life that Byron has enjoyed since successfully completing treatment and his (Byron’s) enthusiastic willingness to share with others led Gerald to understand and embrace a dire need within the community, and together they began to help more people.  Other success stories have followed, and G.E.T. FOUNDATION will come to serve a multitude of people, both male and female, who will be able to chart a new course in life.

    

Gerald eventually taught himself to read and write at the age of 36, now 51 and credits his mother with helping expose his talent for building and construction. After watching his mother build a closet in the house with her own hands, Gerald’s amazement caused him to delve into construction. He became a student at Richmond Technical School where he received a certification in Carpentry, leading to him becoming licensed. In 2011, his dream manifested allowing him to become an entrepreneur (GET Construction), giving a portion of its revenue to support the G.E.T foundation.  

 

Today, because of God’s grace and mercy, Gerald serves as the owner and operator of GET Construction and founder of G.E.T Foundation. He is happily married to Naquita Baker-Taylor and is a loving step-father and grandfather to Davon and Channing, respectively.  He attends church with his wife, enjoys fishing, and an occasional game of chess. He continues his work with the G.E.T foundation, and frequently travels to Louisville, Kentucky to celebrate and encourage those who are housed there, fighting to survive.

    

He is currently working on being able to offer trades skills. Gerald believes there is no better feeling than giving to others. Gerald is a mover and shaker in Richmond who considers himself a wealthy man, not because of a bank account, but because he has discovered his purpose and is overjoyed to walk in it. Now 24 years clean. He maintains that once physical wealth manifests, he plans to use it to help others on a much larger scale. Gerald E. Taylor is a motivator who is an inspiration to others and a instrument of generosity, compassion, and love for his community.