Upon their release on March 1, 2024 these two men would have been left at this bus station in Florence without anywhere to go and only the clothes on their back... Take a deep breath and think about that. No job. No food. No money. No transportation. Now you may be thinking – don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time… Yes, people need to experience justice when they’ve committed crimes. (You can learn more about justice and mercy working together in this blog post.) I agree. But they also need to experience mercy if they are going to get their lives back on track. This picture displays the heart of those who partner with us. We show up on the scene. Not to be the heroes who rescue. Not with a handout But with a hand up. With opportunity With encouragement With accountability With a plan and support so they can navigate out of desperate situations. We’ve picked up a lot of people at the bus station who would’ve been homeless after incarceration. Now they are reunited with family, employed, active in good works, and homeowners. After nine years in this line of work, I’ve realized that those served are able to move towards a life they never dreamed possible. And those doing the serving and giving experience joy and fulfillment in a way they never have before. We aren't just meeting needs, we are solving a problem. Join us. Learn more and consider giving to support these kind of transformational opportunities. Cary Sanders CEO, UMPSTART SC

Proposed Opportunity Center: JUMPSTART SC has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Truist Charitable Fund. This launches a three-year partnership, supporting the Opportunity Center at Restoration Village, a transitional housing community in Wellford, South Carolina. Greenville, SC, (Feb. 15, 2024) – JUMPSTART SC today announced it received a grant from the Truist Community Catalyst Initiative—a three-year program supporting local initiatives with statewide impact funded by the Truist Charitable Fund, a donor-advised fund administered by The Winston-Salem Foundation. This grant will support a comprehensive resource hub for formerly incarcerated individuals, providing them with essential tools and support to reintegrate into the workforce and society. The partnership aims to equip participants with essential life skills, financial literacy, and workforce development training. It will facilitate ongoing support and assistance, fostering supportive relationships for transformation. Participants will have the opportunity to acquire transferable culinary skills at an onsite culinary arts facility. Moreover, participants are provided with stable, safe, and affordable living conditions throughout their two years in the program. Employment opportunities will be available through JUMPSTART's employer network. Additionally, 200 individuals will receive guidance in securing reliable transportation. Lastly, a significant aim of the partnership is that 50 individuals graduating from JUMPSTART will become homeowners during this three-year period. Cary Sanders, Chief Executive Officer of JUMPSTART SC states that, “As partners like Truist and others come along side us, we are able to provide men and women with transformational opportunities to get their lives back on track. When men and women experience restoration, cycles of crime and addiction are broken, and our entire community wins.” “Truist is proud to support JUMPSTART SC’s important work,” said Alex Brame, Truist regional president of South Carolina. “Our purpose is to inspire and build better lives and communities, and supporting organizations such as JUMPSTART SC helps us make a positive impact where we work and live.” About JUMPSTART SC In cooperation with donors, churches, and the community, JUMPSTART disciples current and former prisoners and assists with re-entry into society. We accomplish our mission through a holistic residential program and community partnerships to address the spiritual, educational, employment, healthcare, housing, and family relationship needs. About the Truist Charitable Fund The Truist Charitable Fund ("TCF") is committed to Truist Financial Corporation's (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives. TCF was established as a donor-advised fund and is administered by The Winston-Salem Foundation. TCF invests in local community organizations, focusing on grants that support initiatives and programs in the areas of educational equity, leadership development, career pathways, small business, and community services. To learn more about Truist's purpose, visit https://www.truist.com/who-we-are/about-truist

Programs don’t spark change. People do. There’s a famous program that talks a lot about their efforts in reducing recidivism. We are not going to call them out by name, because that’s not what we’re about. But … trust us. You’ve heard of them. They do not have as much good will as they claim. In reality, all they do is toss former inmates in an 8-week program. A program that’s funded nicely by government grants. They get inexpensive labor and call it job training. There are no relationships. There are no real connections. There is no pathway towards real opportunity. And, as a result, the program this company runs isn’t very effective. That’s what sets JUMPSTART SC apart. We are committed to investing in people. We are committed to linking arms for the long haul. We are committed to relationships. Instead of handing someone a bus ticket and helping them write a resume … We go to hiring managers directly and fight for our program participants. Instead of helping them find rental ads online … We are building a community for them to live in. Instead of 8-week courses on how to avoid going back to jail … We invest years in our participants, giving them the tools and guiding them in their faith, helping them transform from the inside, out. JUMPSTART isn’t about a program. It’s about people who can have a bright future when others invest. Which is why South Carolina has the lowest recidivism rate in the nation. JUMPSTART SC is in 19 of South Carolina’s 21 prisons. And we’re just getting started. Join us. Get Involved Today

Jon Ozmint served in the US Navy before earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1990. He then spent five years working for the South Carolina Attorney General’s office and another eight years as the Director of South Carolina’s Department of Corrections. Since 2013, he has led the Ozmint Firm, providing various legal services.    Jon first learned of JUMPSTART during his time at the DOC and was won over to the mission when he saw how real accountability and standards were changing lives. When Jon’s time on another board expired, he saw it as God’s perfect timing to join JUMPSTART’s mission.    “Salvation is by grace, but the proof of Christianity is that a changed person will live a changed life… When you see that change in folks who really were once broken—the most broken—it’s easy to believe in what JUMPSTART does.”    Jon received the Order of Palmetto in 2011, and in 2013, he won SC Lawyers Weekly ’s Leadership in Law Award. He is particularly passionate about how the ministry is producing disciples for Christ for true life change. He and his wife Luanne attend Brushy Creek Baptist Church in Greenville and have four children and one grandchild (with more on the way).

JUMPSTART was dreamed up on Chuck Fields’s back porch during a conversation between him, Don Williams, and Tim Terry, so he’s been there since before the beginning. Having experienced incarceration firsthand, Chuck knows what it’s like to lose everything and how vital the transition process is to restoring both individuals and families.    He earned a degree in finance from Wofford College and has worked in real estate during his entire career, including owning an appraisal company, Paradigm Appraisal Service, Inc. Throughout his service to JUMPSTART, he’s also hosted nearly fifty men at his home to mentor them on their path to recovery.    “JUMPSTART matters because people get confused about life… What I’ve found is life is hard for everyone and we all get lots of grace in life and sometimes we need hard things to get our attention to get us to where we need to be, where God has a plan for our lives.”    Chuck met Lynn, the love of his life, in 1990 and they were married three months later. They raised their daughter Stevie together and were married for thirty-three years before her passing. He is a member of Hope Point Church in Spartanburg and stresses that God is the true founder of JUMPSTART—and he can’t wait to see what God does next.

A lifelong resident of Spartanburg, Tommy Holt began working at the age of eleven before going off to earn his degree from Clemson. From there, he spent some time working in the medical field, working in corporate, and has spent the last thirty years as an entrepreneur, investor, and consultant, including founding Hardwood Bridge, LLC.    Tommy’s involvement in homeless ministries led to him learning about JUMPSTART, especially when he saw how many people had been incarcerated and ended up homeless due to the obstacles they faced after release. Where most see problems, Tommy sees opportunities.    “I like to work on the hard problems. I like the things where people say, ‘Well, that’s just not possible…’ That just motivates me and energizes me … Jumpstart graciously offered me an opportunity to get involved, and I haven’t looked back since.”    With this energy, Tommy is passionate about helping people overcome the everyday challenges when they’re returning to society and learning how to be successful. He’s an avid believer in the power of social enterprise to provide our residents with a future and loves how JUMPSTART is “in the business of destroying recidivism.” He and his wife Lynn attend Hope Point Church, have raised a son and daughter together, and are proud grandparents.

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Dr. Michael Scharff served as a decorated officer in the US Army from 1983 to 1994, ending his military career as Comptroller for a Special Ops organization. He earned his bachelor’s in Business Administration from the Citadel and went on to earn his MBA at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University. He earned his doctorate in Management and Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix in 2006, where he also won Dissertation of the Year.    Since 2006, he has been on the faculty of Limestone University, where he is a professor of Business Administration and Dean of the College of Business. He also chairs the Global Experience Committee, which allows students the opportunity to study abroad.    “It’s not surprising that people end up right back where they started because we didn’t really set them up for success… And that’s really what JUMPSTART is about—to jumpstart their success.”    Dr. Scharff has written for numerous educational publications and led academic presentations, as well as served in a number of children’s ministries. He lives in Spartanburg with his wife Deb, with whom he just celebrated thirty years of marriage, and enjoys following football—which the rest of the US calls “soccer.”

Bob Caldwell, Sr. is a graduate of The Citadel and served the US in Vietnam as part of the 5th Special Forces Group. In 1975, he founded Grace Management Group, a family-held collection of businesses headquartered in Spartanburg, and includes one of the largest home fragrance manufacturers in the country.    In addition to serving with JUMPSTART, he has also been instrumental in working with other nonprofits, including Rice Bowls, which feeds orphaned children in developing nations, the South Carolina Christian Foundation, and Upward Sports.    He and his wife Sylvia are active members at Hope Point Church in Spartanburg and have four grown children, nineteen grandchildren, and a great-grandchild. Outside of his extensive ministry work, you’ll find him spending time with all the grandchildren, including leading book clubs with them.

Donald Spann earned a degree in Physical Education and Health from the College of Charleston with an emphasis in Sports Medicine. Afterward, he spent nearly a decade working in athletics, including with the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Knicks, St. Louis Cardinals, and Western Kentucky University. He then returned to South Carolina when he transitioned into pharmaceutical sales. Today, you can find him serving as a Campus Pastor for Grace Church in Greenville.    Since 2007, he has served on numerous school improvement councils and nonprofit boards, including as a current board member for JUMPSTART SC. Donald and his wife Mary Beth have four children and one grandchild, and he has helped lead over fifteen international mission trips from Kenya to Puerto Rico.

Born and raised in Greenville, SC, Mike Kirakides graduated from Clemson University in 1988 before going into his family’s business to hone his operations and management skills. Afterwards, he went into commercial real estate with the Furman Company before co-founding KDS Commercial Properties, a brokerage and development firm.    In 2016, he was contacted by Bill White to serve with JUMPSTART where Mike’s talents for real estate proved instrumental in the development of Restoration Village. Once he learned about the challenges facing men and women coming out of prison, he was moved to help remove those hurdles and officially joined the board in 2017.    “As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, we’re all called to serve… We all have a gift. Everybody has something to offer.”    As a firm believer in second chances, Mike’s vision for JUMPSTART is to see more lives changed through the Gospel. And because he doesn’t believe we should put God in a box, he hopes to see the ministry grow into a thriving community that can be replicated for greater impact. He’s been married to his wife Debbie for thirty years and they have three daughters together. Since 2009, they have been faithful members of Grace Church.

Sharon McDowell grew up in Spartanburg and majored in both accounting and music. Working in accounting for twenty years, she currently runs her own private practice as a CPA, focused on serving nonprofits.    Not long after JUMPSTART was formed, she was invited to assist with the necessary accounting tasks for a few hours a week. While she was still homeschooling her two sons at the time, she was compelled by the vision of the ministry. As a self-proclaimed “numbers person,” she was won over by the numbers proving JUMPSTART’s success.    “The mission matters: broken lives, families, and communities are rebuilt, reconciled, and restored. Generational cycles of abuse, neglect, and violence are ended and we indeed see God bring beauty from ashes, joy from mourning, and hope from despair.”    Outside of her work as JUMPSTART’s Treasurer, Sharon also volunteers by tutoring kindergarteners at a local school and serving in her church. She still lives in Spartanburg along with her husband and spends her free time hiking, reading, and playing the piano.

Raised in Tennessee, Jon Jamison attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned a Master of Divinity in Christian Education, with a specialization in Social Work. For eighteen years, he ran an inner-city community center for the North American Mission Board, which included working directly with individuals transitioning out of prison.    In 2017, he became Team Leader for the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s SERVE Team. In this role, he has helped equip churches to better serve their communities, which led to him crossing paths with JUMPSTART. After hearing firsthand testimonies of the work happening at the Big House, he was moved to become more involved.    “I serve with JUMPSTART because I believe in the mission … The organization is making a tangible difference and provides local churches with tangible opportunities to make a difference in the community.”    Now residing in Columbia, Jon has been married to his wife Mindy since 1996 and together they have one daughter. As a board member, he hopes to see JUMPSTART’s success multiplied in other states so more imprisoned individuals can be introduced to the freedom offered in Christ.