Allen Green, a 32-year-old Chattanooga firefighter, remembers being known as a "dirty kid" in middle school because he didn't always have clean clothes to wear.
Growing up in public housing in St. Elmo in the 1990s, he dropped out of school in the sixth grade, he said.
Both of his parents were incarcerated on drug charges for a time, Green explained, and so he lived alone with his siblings, essentially becoming a forgotten child.
"The [Chattanooga] Housing Authority didn't know we were living by ourselves," Green remembered. "I didn't have any home support. I found myself missing school, trying to find food for the house."
Little things like keeping his clothes clean became a challenge, he said, and he often had to choose between helping his siblings eat and spending the day at school.
"I would stay [at school] just long enough to get a meal and then sneak out," he said. "At the time, I didn't have any friends or teachers who cared."
Then one day, while he was on his way to wash clothes, Green got word that his teachers at school were looking for him. Encouraged that somebody at least noticed his absence, he decided to go back.
He said when teachers and school administrators sat down with him and heard the story of his solitary home life, some of them cried. A few even took him in and provided care until a more permanent home could be found.
When he was 15, Green transitioned from foster care to Bethel Bible Village, a Christian group home off Hamill Road for children and teens in crisis.
There, Green enrolled in Hixson High School and became active in sports. He also bonded with some of his Bethel house parents, who remain his mentors to this day, he said.
"They were wonderful," he said of his Bethel supervisors. "Every track meet and football game, they were there. They supported me and gave me love. I can never forget them - ever.
"They allowed me to be Allen Green, the person, not just some statistic from Alton Park."
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After he graduated high school, Green attended UTC on a pre-med track. He wanted to be a podiatrist.
Although he eventually got a degree in chemistry and biology, he decided he needed to forego a medical career and to look for a quicker path to a paycheck to support himself and his twin sons, who split time staying with Green and their mother.
It took Green almost a year to reach his goal of being hired by the Chattanooga Fire Department, he said, but now he works as a firefighter at Station 9 in East Lake.
Being back in South Chattanooga has inspired him to reach out to some of the young men he sees on his job.
"Every kid I see, reminds me of me," he said.
For years, Green said, he was guarded about telling the story of his difficult childhood, but now he looks for chances to share his bootstraps journey.
"There are two things I tell the young guys," he said. "Keep your faith in God and learn to persevere. Faith will take you to places you can't see; and perseverance is going to drive you to those places."
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645.