Four Georgia teens are going viral after walking into Zsa Zsa Heard‘s office, the CEO of LaGrange Housing Authority, asking for a job to avoid being swept into gang life.

Heard posted their photo on her Facebook page with this inspiring caption:

“I want Facebook to empower these young men they walked into my office today and asked for a job. I said why do you want a job? They said so we want get in trouble and we do not want to be in a gang! I said have people approached you about being in a gang they said yes’mam! I hired them on the spot! The streets will not have our children! ‪#‎ILOVELHACHILDREN‬”

According to Heard’s post, she hired the young men, ranging in age from 13 to 14, on the spot. Their names are Desmond Woodard, Dylik Smith, Jalen Parham, and Deion Woodard. Since being employed, they’ve been hard at work distributing mail, tending to the community garden, and mining chicken coops.

After completing their tasks, Heard pays the boys on a prepaid card.

“If they feel that they’re valuable, and if we show them how important they are, then we don’t risk losing them,” Heard told 11Alive News. “I don’t want them to seek the love and attention from the negative. I want them to find their value in other things.”

The boys will continue to work for Heard during school breaks.

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