A Legacy That Shows Up
Meet Andre: Volunteering at Ridgeland Correctional
There are 40 miles between Hilton Head and Ridgeland. For Andre, that drive is not routine. It is sacred. Every Monday he gets in his car and heads toward the prison, praying along the way and asking God one simple question:
How can I show up well today?
After 35 years in education, including serving as a superintendent, retirement could have been comfortable. Golf. Beach days. Slow mornings. Instead, the calling that stirred in him at 12 never left. A desire to walk with people who are struggling. A passion to remind them that their story is not over.
He grew up in a small Southern Baptist church and gave his life to Christ at seven years old. That foundation shaped everything. Now at 71, he thinks often about legacy. For Andre, legacy looks like this:
Praying every morning for his wife of 48 years
Investing in his children and five grandchildren
Driving 40 miles to sit with men behind bars
Choosing consistency over applause
He says it simply:
“I think maybe the most important thing I do is show up.”
What surprised him most inside the prison was not what he taught. It was what the men valued. They did not praise polished lessons. They did not highlight perfect theology.
They said: “Thanks for the consistency.”
They noticed he came every week. They noticed he stayed. He tells them often, “I love you guys.” And he means it. Many of these men have never had someone steady in their lives. For nine months, he stays present. He laughs with them. He admits when he fumbles. He listens.
One man he mentored entered prison with a broken marriage and estranged children. Together they prayed and talked through practical steps. The man began writing his wife, not asking for anything, simply sharing the change happening in his heart. Years later, Andre received a call. The marriage was restored. The family reunited. A new child on the way. Andre said if that had been the only story from his years of volunteering, it would have been enough.
Andre is passionate about correcting misconceptions. He has met men with talent, leadership ability, and deep love for their families. Men who made serious mistakes but are not defined by them. He believes programs rooted in the gospel endure because when life goes sideways, faith is what anchors a person. As he shared, when challenges come, “that’s where our faith is so valuable.”
At 71, he says something rare. “I really don’t have any regrets.”
Not because life was easy. There were health battles. Hard seasons. Long years of caring for aging parents. But he kept asking God to lead his steps and guard his legacy.
He believes God brings real change through relationship. Change grows in connection. In marriage. In parenting. In mentoring students. In sitting across from men behind bars. And above all, in a personal relationship with Christ, where transformation truly begins.
Sometimes legacy is not loud.
Sometimes it is not seen.
Sometimes it is 40 miles, a faithful presence, and a man willing to say,
I’ll see you next week.
There are people looking for answers in prison. Will you join us in God's mission to chase rebels down? 👉 Learn more sharing the Gospel through JUMPSTART SC: https://www.jumpstartvision.org/get-involved-south-carolina
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