NORTH CAROLINA
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ABOUT US
Patrick Coughlin
Charlotte, NC
Strategic Advisor
Quintin Quinn
Cary, NC
Strategic Advisor
Strategic Advisors to the Board of Directors
Erica Shoe
Mooresville, NC
Chair
Ed Troha
Raleigh, NC
Vice Chair
Cathy Robertson
Lexington, NC
Housing Committee Chair
Leah Wheeler
Winston-Salem, NC
Social Media & Volunteer Relations
Keith Wheeler
Winston-Salem, NC
Treasurer
Rob Whitner
Goldsboro, NC
Secretary
Board of Directors
About – North Carolina
JUMPSTART North Carolina launched in May of 2022. Jumpstart as an organization, however, has a proven process and programming which started back in 2008 in South Carolina. That is our model to follow. To help visitors to our North Carolina page understand “where we are headed” in NC, at times you will read about aspects of the JUMPSTART Program as it exists today in South Carolina.
The 40-week “inside” program you will read about is up and running in nine prisons in NC (Carteret, Eastern, Greene, Wake, Columbus, Tabor, Davidson, Albemarle, and Piedmont). There are 53 prisons in our state, so we have a massive opportunity to serve more people and break the back of recidivism. By contrast, the “outside” program you will read about will take time to develop and implement.
As more graduates of the inside program are released in North Carolina, and as resources are raised, our ambition is to provide a safe and stable environment for people in transition after incarceration.
We’re currently focused on developing alliances to provide the following for our JUMPSTART grads upon re-entry:
• Low-cost, safe and stable housing with access to physical, mental, and dental healthcare
• Transportation to service providers, employment, and shopping
• Permanent and meaningful employment at a living wage by partnering with fair-chance employers
• Spiritual growth opportunities
In North Carolina, we share the same Mission, Vision, Values and Keys to Success as JUMPSTART in South Carolina, Ohio, Georgia. and Florida.
We thank you for your support and prayers to help us transform the lives of men and women by growing JUMPSTART in North Carolina!
The Back Story
A small group of volunteers, with the support of the Tyger River Correctional Institution’s chaplain, began ministering to the inmates at Tyger River in South Carolina. This group consisted mostly of retired men and women who went into the prison during the normal work-day. Two of our founding members worked night-time vocational jobs (one in janitorial office work and the other in pizza delivery) to support themselves and their families so they could answer God’s calling on their lives– Prison Ministry. These men, along with their wives, met together to talk through their “calling”, and the challenges and struggles they were facing which were primarily financial. They discussed how they might partner in the mission of “setting the captives free,” and the vision of JUMPSTART was born.
JUMPSTART Today
Today in North Carolina, more than 85 volunteers each week serve the needs of those in numerous prison locations. Our leadership team and staff work tirelessly to bring hope to those in prison who have often given up. The responses we see every week inspire us to do more. And that’s exactly what we are doing. The JUMPSTART story continues to deepen and the lives we are reaching are being transformed by God’s grace.