Transforming the Lives of Prisoners From the Inside Out Participant and Alumni Testimonies
‘‘ When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:2
As one of the co-founders of JUMPSTART, my desire to help assist men and women who are returning to our community after incarceration is dear to my heart. I have experienced both incarceration and God’s transforming power, so I wanted to see His handiwork in the lives of others as well. During my 15 years at JUMPSTART, I have grown both personally and professionally. I have made wonderful friends who contributed to my growth. I have had the privilege of watching thousands of lives be transformed by God’s power, grace, and mercy. I am very grateful for our community and how they have accepted, loved, and supported JUMPSTART since its inception.
I want to encourage every JUMPSTART participant that they can continue to walk out the purpose and mission that God has called them to. You can use their life experiences to impact someone else’s life and never be ashamed of what you have been through. You are a testimony of God’s transforming power, so let your light shine and turn your pain into your platform.
Don, JUMPSTART Co-Founder
Growing up in a Christian home, graduating from a Christian high school, then attending a Christian university, I ignored the warning of 1 Corinthians 10:12. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” After years of running from God, He loved me enough to allow me to take a path that led to spending 12 years in prison. Broken and overwhelmed with shame, sorrow, and regret, a future and a hope was something totally foreign to me; I was just trying to get through the day alone in a concrete jungle. Sitting in the first JUMPSTART class, I had no idea what to expect; I just wanted the pain to go away. God was doing surgery on my heart, and the healing process from that surgery was going to take time and the help of others. God used JUMPSTART to teach me that my hope is not in my circumstances, but in my Savior, the promises of his Word, and His love for me expressed through JUMPSTART staff, volunteers, my mentor, fellow participants, and the family of God as a whole. I am not alone and with Christ, my future is greater than my past.
Dan, JUMPSTART Participant
‘‘ A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.
Spurgeon
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For it is God which worketh in you both to will and do of His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13
I was introduced to JUMPSTART in 2008 by Rob Whitner, one of the inside leaders of the program, while incarcerated at McCormick Correctional Institution. On my first day of class, I knew that JUMPSTART had something special going on because they had the Honorable E.C. Burnett, a retired Supreme Court Justice, as the guest speaker. While there, he spoke on rehabilitation and re-entry for the incarcerated. I had never heard of a judge talking about the rehabilitation of inmates, so I made a conscious decision that JUMPSTART would be a program I would participate in while I was incarcerated. I didn’t realize that God was preparing and positioning me for my life’s work once I returned to society.
I’m grateful for JUMPSTART. Because of the program, I learned how important it is to be accountable,responsible, and submissive to the authority God has placed in my life. While participating in the program, I had the privilege of being the inside coordinator at Livesay Correctional Institution for three years, which helped sharpen my leadership and interpersonal skills, all the while revealing God’s divine purpose for my life. I want to thank Cary Sanders for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to serve God’s imagebearers through a program that truly changes lives.
Tim, JUMPSTART Alumni
My life was once consumed by the relentless grip of addiction, which tore apart all my relationships and pushed me to the brink of despair. Eventually, my actions caught up with me, and I found myself facing the cold, unforgiving walls of a prison cell. I knew I had to change, so I opened my Bible and turned to God. I decided then and there that I would no longer rely on myself, but look to God to lead me to redemption. He led me to JUMPSTART.
JUMPSTART understood the unique hurdles that I faced. They provided me with housing, transportation, food, employment, access to healthcare, guidance on managing finances, and help with rebuilding relationships. Having a mentor, bonding with fellow participants, and seeing how many people support and believe in this program has been an inspiration.
I once felt like I would never be truly loved or accepted, but this community has shown me that I matter.
Since my release from incarceration, I have found stable employment with a livable wage, started college at Spartanburg Community College to get a degree in accounting, and reunited with my family. Just recently, I was able to see my daughter in person for the first time since 2020. It is only because of all the help, love, and support that JUMPSTART offers that I am where I am today. Words cannot express how thankful I am for this program, and I encourage everyone to use all the resources and opportunities JUMPSTART provides.
Kaitlin, JUMPSTART Participant
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Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Ephesians 6:10
I am a mother of two, who was so mentally and emotionally abused that I became just a shell of a woman. The last intimate relationship I was in led me down a path that ended in a jail cell. I had hit rock bottom, and that is where Jesus met me. I knew I could not return home after my release, which started my journey with JUMPSTART. After being involved in the inside Jumpstart program, I knew this program was the answer to my prayers. I applied, got accepted, and my re-entry journey began. JUMPSTART has provided all my needs—housing, transportation, food, medical, employment assistance, mentoring, and much more. The JUMPSTART community is always there for me with unconditional love, guidance, support, and even a shoulder to cry on.
I now have a full-time job, am enrolled in the Spartanburg Community College accounting program, and am now a member of a church that feels like home. I could not have accomplished this without the continued support of JUMPSTART’s staff, mentors, supporters, and fellow participants. I intend to continue participating in every opportunity given to me and encourage both current and future participants to do the same.
Teresa, JUMPSTART Participant
I have a rather unique perspective on JUMPSTART because I was part of a group of men who envisioned JUMPSTART before its inception. The consequences of my sinful choices led to my incarceration, where I met my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. JUMPSTART helped me discover that God has a purpose for my life, which is connecting people to God and to one another. I am grateful for the people who have invested in me through JUMPSTART. If you want something to add meaning and fulfillment to your life beyond what you are currently experiencing, I invite you to get involved with JUMPSTART. Your life will not be the same. Transformation is possible through Jesus Christ, and I am living proof of that.
Rob, JUMPSTART Alumni
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Behold, I am the Lord, Is there anything too hard for me?
Jeremiah 32:27
In 2006, I found myself facing a 10-year prison sentence. During that time, I participated in the JUMPSTART inside program and began to see a possibility for the future. I had a family waiting for me to come home, and JUMPSTART was instrumental in helping me build a strong foundation through my relationship with Jesus so that I could live life with them as God intended. None of this would be possible if it weren’t for people who give their time, energy, and resources to see that people like me have a possibility for life more abundantly.
Since my release, I have had the opportunity to share with the community and the JUMPSTART family what is possible when we live according to God’s purposes. Always remember that God’s plans are good, but do not happen overnight. “Delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
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Great acts are made up of small deeds.
Lao Tzu
When I first heard of JUMPSTART, the one thing that stood out from other programs on the inside was their discipleship of the participants. I was already a Christian, so I didn’t need the Gospel preached to me one more time. I wanted something that would impact my life and the lives of those involved. JUMPSTART wasn’t so much about conversation as it was about transformation. This distinction is what sets our dynamic re-entry program apart from others. Upon release, JUMPSTART provided me with a solid platform to start over after 37 years of incarceration, making my transition into society more organized and less chaotic in a fast-paced world. JUMPSTART provides the opportunities a person needs to re-enter society successfully.
JUMPSTART Alumni
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You cannot stay the way you are and go with God.
Henry Blackaby‘‘
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33
Growing up, I had a very abusive childhood. All of the residual hurt, pain, and anger from the abuse built up until I was sentenced to life in prison. Twenty-five years later, only by God’s grace, I was released. I have no doubt that God’s plan for me was to go to JUMPSTART, which provided me with shelter, food, clothing, and a chance to get started in society. After my release, even going to Walmart was amazing; I looked around for hours in awe. The fellowship with my Christian brothers and sisters as well as our weekly Bible studies were two of my favorite aspects of the program.
I am now a grandmother to eleven grandkids and will soon welcome my second great-grandbaby. Many contributed to my JUMPSTART journey. I want participants now and in the future to not just do the program to check off a box, but to really embrace the program wholeheartedly, grow, and understand that we are all loved by Christ.
Three and a half years ago, I emerged from a 45-year prison journey. God led me to JUMPSTART in 2010, where I became a participant and leader for the remaining decade before my release from prison in 2020. God revealed His purpose for my life during my JUMPSTART training, and my life was transformed. Finally understanding why God created me, I was motivated to get up every morning to bring honor and dignity to the life I had taken as an angry youth. Since my release, I have been ordained as a minister, served as Executive Director of On the Rock Ministries, hired as a corporate chaplain, and currently serve as a mentor for JUMPSTART.
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The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day
God shows you why.
Mark Twain
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Where there is no guidance, a nation falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
Proverbs 11:14
At age 19, I felt alone and afraid. There was no one and nothing that could pull me from the depth of the loneliness I felt. I was afraid because I knew the crime I had committed would follow me for the rest of my life. On September 1, 2022, all of that changed. I felt God’s grace throughout my life crystallize into real meaning as I entered the JUMPSTART transitional program. I am now surrounded by love. I now live a life that I could have never dreamed of. I am currently in my 3rd semester of a computer programming associates degree while working as a web developer, and I am enjoying every minute. In August, I bought my very first car with planning and savings skills I learned through JUMPSTART. Thanks to the support of volunteers and donors, I’m no longer living without purpose. I am thriving with renewed hope.
I grew up in church and had a great life being raised by my grandparents, until I didn’t. Around the age of twenty-five, my life started falling apart. I battled a drug addiction, received a prison sentence, and had no hope. After many more years of addiction, selfdestruction, and four more prison sentences, I decided to turn to the only one who could help me: God. He led me to JUMPSTART behind the walls, which built me back up and gave me hope for a future and an open spot at Restoration Village in their transitional program. Since being released and joining the JUMPSTART family, I have obtained all my credentials, met amazing like-minded people chasing God and their dreams, got a job, and regained independence, trust, and love for myself. I’m blessed to have this opportunity and will be forever grateful to God, my family, JUMPSTART, and every blessing and trial that I’ve ever been through. It has all made me who I am today.
Kacie, JUMPSTART Participant
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I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13
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Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15
On May 1, 2020, I was released from prison and dropped off at the bus station. I was wearing clothes that didn’t fit, a rope for a belt, and held one box of what few possessions I had. Not knowing what my life would be like moving forward, I got into the JUMPSTART car and was taken to the Big House. My days were filled with appointments, classes, and doing work for JUMPSTART as needed. I didn’t find a job until August due to COVID-19. While at work, my co-workers would say they were blessed when asked how they were doing. I knew I was blessed, yet I still felt like I was in a rut. It wasn’t until I read Colossians 3:15 that I realized being thankful was key. I wasn’t thankful for what God had done for me and how He had blessed me. I started studying what it meant to be thankful, and that is when things started to change. While at work, I began thanking God for my job, my co-workers, and for giving me strength to endure. When it came time for me to find a place to live, I started looking at apartments. By the world’s standards, I had nothing; an apartment was all I would be able to live in. Or so I thought. God had different plans. After coming out of prison with zero credit, no money, and no job, He blessed me with the ability to buy a house I could call my home in November 2021. When someone asks how I’m doing, I don’t just tell them I’m blessed. I tell them that I’m thankful to God that I am blessed.
My grandfather always told me I would impact and minister to more people than he would, because I would be going to places he had never been. Being behind the wall was the worst, yet most relevant part of my life that I never knew I needed in order to fully walk into my God-given purpose. God used JUMPSTART to reveal to me my calling as a child of God in its entirety. Through JUMPSTART, I met men and women of GOD who support me and each other. I am better today than I was yesterday.
Phillip, JUMPSTART Alumni
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He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11
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Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15
As a rebellious young man at the age of nineteen, void of a sense of meaning and purpose and struggling with an alcohol and drug addiction, I found myself without hope and contemplating taking my own life. Being too lazy to work for a living, too easily influenced by the glamourous portrayals of a life of crime I had witnessed on television, and too arrogant to think that it would not catch up to me, I ended up robbing a bank in Rock Hill, SC. Although I managed to get away with the robbery without the authorities knowing who it was, it wasn’t long before I realized I had reached a point of no return.
During this time, although unbeknownst to me, the Holy Spirit began convicting me that I needed to change the way I was living or else I would not live to see my 21st birthday. Long story short, I eventually surrendered myself to the local authorities. While I was awaiting sentencing, I had a life transforming encounter with Jesus Christ precipitated by the work of local volunteers who came to visit me and share the Gospel with me. This encounter set me upon a path of healing, reconciliation, and restoration. The JUMPSTART program served as an integral part of this journey, both prior to my release, and subsequent to it.
Through the contributions of gracious donors and supporters of this program, I am living proof that when a willing person has the resources they need, their future can be greater than their past.
Before Christ, I thought I was living the American dream. However, my life left me utterly unfulfilled and empty. The road I was on eventually led to despair, hopelessness, and violating the law. I thought my life was ruined, but God sent a family friend to share the hope of Christ with me. That hope completely changed the course of my life, despite the fact that I still had a very difficult journey to walk through. The Lord was with me through it all, and He used JUMPSTART to provide both spiritual and practical support as I sought to rebuild my life after prison. Today, I’m profoundly grateful to the ministry of JUMPSTART for helping me navigate the complexities of my post-incarceration recovery, and as a regular donor, I feel it’s important as a successful alumni to give back so others can experience the transformation I’ve had.
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God doesn’t waste anything.
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And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
Life before incarceration was simple. I was saved, but began to recede in my walk with Christ. This allowed Satan a foothold in my life, thus leading me to incarceration. While in prison, I got involved in as many religious programs as I could. When I was asked to join JUMPSTART, I didn’t hestitate. While a part of the JUMPSTART class, my ill thinking was brought to light among other issues. I became heavily involved with JUMPSTART’s inside program. Once released, JUMPSTART’s outside program exceeded my wildest expectation. They have been my lifeline. I haven’t needed anything since being a part of JUMPSTART. I have gone from being a participant, a graduate, and now to an employee. God has blessed me through all aspects of JUMPSTART, ultimately giving me a new beginning. I have no regrets.
In the past three years since I have been with JUMPSTART, I have completed the 40-week inside program, served as a table leader in prison for two years, and joined the outside program. JUMPSTART has given me everything I could have wanted and helped with anything I needed after being released from prison. The program is a blessing from God.
With the second chance I have been given, I want to serve Jesus Christ in everything I do. From mowing the grass to helping set up tables and chairs, I want to do everything I do for my Lord and Savior.
Thomas, JUMPSTART Participant
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For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45
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For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
I found mymself at a crossroad after a decade in prison. I had hoped to join a program in Charleston to help get me back on my feet, but God had other plans. I had heard whispers about JUMPSTART during my time behind bars. Little did I know, it would become a lifeline and a pivotal part of God’s plan for me.
I started JUMPSTART in January 2020, and my life has been forever changed since. Once stubborn and distant, I found mymself growing closer to God, and after two transformative years, I graduated from the inside program.
Looking back, I marvel at the divine intervention that led me to JUMPSTART. I am convinced that without it, I would have been lost in the complex maze of post-prison life, perhaps even returning to a cell. Instead, I now live with a renewed sense of purpose, happiness, and peace.
I grew up in a home of sexual abuse by my uncle from age 7 to 11. Even though my family knew what was going on, nothing was done about it. As I got older, I started acting out. I found myself doing the very thing that happened to me to those I said I loved. Finally, my sin caught up to me. I was arresred and spent almost eight years in prison. During that time, I found out who God really was. My journey was rough, but God protected me because He had plans for my life. I entered into the JUMPSTART inside program, where it was clear that God was the focus. When I was released, I joined the outside program where God had soldiers of the Lord in place to help me. God is now in charge of my life, and I am able to mentor those who have been through the same situation I was. I thank God for allowing me to be a part of a program that follows God’s Word and guides others to live like Christ. Allow God to direct your pathways, and He will never disappoint.
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Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
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For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16
I was raised in a great family, yet I found myself stuck in the ruts of addiction and the trouble that comes along with it. I was in and out of prison, and finally hit rock bottom when I found myself in prison again in 2017. After trying everything on my own, I finally got on my knees and asked God to help me.
Through his sovereignty, God led me straight to JUMPSTART. The staff at JUMPSTART went above and beyond to help me get my life together. I have been at the same job now for over two years, I have my drivers license, my own car, and I am doing well in life. I have also married the person that meant so much to me, even in my addiction. Through God and His people, recovery is possible. I will forever be grateful to the JUMPSTART program and to God for loving me enough to help save me.
At the age of 17, I decided I wanted to be my “own man” and I moved out to be on my own. I was the life of the party, and there was always a party. However, trouble soon followed and I have spent most of the past 20 years in prison. It was in prison that God began working on me. He taught me that I was not the center of the universe and showed me love and mercy.
God used JUMPSTART to once again show His love. JUMPSTART allows us the opportunity to come out of prison and get established in society. It is truly transformational. I am now gainfully employed, a member of a Bible-teaching church, and like to volunteer in the community as much as possible. Thanks to JUMPSTART, I am an upstanding citizen and have been given the opportunity to become the man God is forming me into.
William, JUMPSTART Participant
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And may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:21b
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This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
John 15:12
My father commited suicide when I was 8 years old, and I became a rebellious child from that point on. I was arrested for the first time when I was 12, yet I didn’t change. When I was home, my mom would take me to church. However, my lifestyle of crime and drugs continued until 2019 when I began serving time at Allendale Correctional Institution.
While serving my time at Allendale, I heard of JUMPSTART.
Every aspect of me becoming a part of the JUMPSTART family is because of God. I was accepted into the outside program, and was welcomed with so much hospitality when I was released in 2021. I am now a full-time employee, a member and volunteer at church, have my own car, have recently received my CDL permit, and am a student at a local driving academy. I’m grateful for what God is doing through JUMPSTART and what He did for me.
Through JUMPSTART, I learned many lessons. These lessons included the importance of being responsible for my actions and choices, placing myself in a position to be accountable to others, and that I was not autonomous but under the authority of God’s Word. I’m so thankful for the many people who have poured into my life. I’ve gone from an atheist on the verge of suicide to a follower of Christ, a husband, father, homeowner, doctoral degree holder, and more. My life and the lives of my family members have been forever altered because those in JUMPSTART didn’t see me as a state prisoner, but as a brother in Christ who was worth being afforded discipleship and other transformational opportunities. I am as convinced as ever that Jesus changes everything.
Cary, JUMPSTART Alumni & CEO
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Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6
When lives that are off track experience restoration, we ALL win.
Cary Sanders, JUMPSTART CEO ‘‘