George Borges, 38, a former drug dealer, didn't always keep the best company. Some of his friends were wild, he says, but he stayed out of trouble throughout his teenage years.

Borges graduated from high school in 1980 and then joined the service.

Trouble set in during his twenties, when he found that he couldn't make enough money to rent an apartment and support his three children. When Borges lost custody of his kids, he started selling drugs. As a crack dealer, he earned up to $1500 per day.

"I had some crazy idea that if I had enough money I could snatch my kids up and leave. It wasn't until I got to jail that I thought about it and realized 'You're not going to get them back this way,'" Borges says.

In prison, Borges came to realize that drugs only hurt him, his family, and the drug users who bought crack from him.

"What was most precious to me got taken away," he says. He decided that he would stay clean once he got out of prison.

Borges credits the love of his twleve-year-old, daughter, Domanique, for helping him turn his life around.

In October 1999, Borges walked out of prison with determination to stay away from the drug scene. "Since I've come home, I've stayed clean." Borges now works for Wildcat Service Corp., sweeping the streets near the South Street Seaport.

Borges wants to graduate from college and become a teacher or counselor. "I know a lot of kids in the same situation as me. If I can help one or two, that's good," he says.

Click to hear Borges's advice to kids (29 seconds).