The Second Chance Initiative
Our Mission
The mission of The Second Chance Initiative is to build men from the inside out by developing character, integrity, responsibility, and purpose through biblical truth, personal accountability, mentorship, and the principles of Living Restored. We exist to serve incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men by helping them confront the wounds and decisions of their past without allowing either to become their permanent identity. Through The Total Man, Left Adrift and Alone, The Eight Movements of Restoration, and Living Restored, we provide a progressive pathway that challenges men to surrender to God, examine themselves honestly, accept responsibility for their choices, participate in their restoration, and become the men God has already divinely called them to be. Our mission is not simply to prepare a man to leave incarceration. Our mission is to prepare a different man to walk through the gate.
Our Goal
The goal of The Second Chance Initiative is to create an environment where men are molded into the men God has already divinely called them to be. We seek to help each man recognize that his present condition does not have to become his permanent identity, his mistakes do not have to define his future, and his wounds do not have to determine the rest of his story. Our goal is for every participant to develop the internal character necessary to make different decisions, establish healthy boundaries, accept authority and responsibility, rebuild relationships, discover God-given purpose, and live with integrity even when no one is watching.
Ultimately, success is not measured simply by whether a man completes a program or is released from incarceration. We want to see restored men become restored fathers, husbands, brothers, leaders, mentors, and productive members of their communities. We want men who have received a second chance to eventually become part of giving another man one. In this way, restoration moves beyond the individual and becomes legacy, interrupting cycles of fatherlessness, broken relationships, irresponsibility, destructive behavior, and repeated incarceration.
The Heart of the Mission
At the heart of The Second Chance Initiative is a simple but powerful conviction: a man’s present condition does not have to become his permanent identity. Incarceration may describe where a man is, but it does not have the authority to determine who he is or who he can become. His past may contain failure, broken relationships, poor decisions, rejection, abandonment, addiction, anger, or regret, but none of those things has to write the final chapter of his life. We believe God can meet a man exactly where he is and begin restoring him from the inside out.
The Second Chance Initiative is not built around ignoring what a man has done. Restoration requires truth. A man must be willing to confront both what happened to him and what he has done. His wounds deserve to be acknowledged, but they cannot become excuses for the wounds he may have caused others. His circumstances may help explain some of his decisions, but they do not remove his responsibility for those decisions. We believe compassion and accountability must walk together. A man can acknowledge that he has been wounded while accepting responsibility for those he has wounded. He can recognize what was missing from his childhood while taking responsibility for the man, husband, father, brother, and leader he chooses to become.
This is why our work reaches deeper than incarceration and reentry. We are not simply preparing a man to leave prison. We are preparing a different man to walk through the gate. A change in location without a change within the man can leave the same thinking, habits, wounds, attitudes, and destructive patterns intact. Restoration must therefore begin before the gate opens. Character must be developed. Integrity must be practiced. Responsibility must be embraced. Purpose must be discovered. The mind must be renewed, and a man must learn to live according to truth rather than continuing to live from his wounds.
Our four guides provide the pathway for that journey. The Total Man establishes the foundation of character. Left Adrift and Alone helps a man confront the wounded places within him. The Eight Movements of Restoration provides a biblical process for participating in restoration. Living Restored challenges him to take what God has restored and live it through purposeful action, healthy relationships, spiritual maturity, service, leadership, and legacy. The objective is not simply changed behavior. It is a changed man.
Ultimately, the heart of this mission is captured in one question. We are not interested only in asking a man, “What have you done?” We want to place another question before him:
“WHO WILL YOU BECOME?”
Who will you become as a man? Who will you become as a father? Who will you become as a husband, son, brother, leader, and member of your community? Who will you become when the excuses are gone, when nobody is applauding, and especially when nobody is watching?
That is where character is revealed, responsibility becomes personal, and purpose begins to take shape. It is where a second chance becomes more than another opportunity and becomes an invitation to become the man God has already divinely called you to be. Your past may explain where you have been, but it does not have the authority to determine who you become. Through character, integrity, responsibility, purpose, and restoration, a man can move beyond the limitations of his past and begin building a life that reflects who God created him to be. Four guides. One journey. One destination: Living Restored.
That is where character is revealed, responsibility becomes personal, and purpose begins to take shape. It is where a second chance becomes more than another opportunity and becomes an invitation to become the man God has already divinely called you to be. Your past may explain where you have been, but it does not have the authority to determine who you become. Through character, integrity, responsibility, purpose, and restoration, a man can move beyond the limitations of his past and begin building a life that reflects who God created him to be. Four guides. One journey. One destination: Living Restored.
Partner with The Second Chance Initiative to bring restoration and purpose to men's lives.
Get Involved
There are many ways to support our mission and help incarcerated men find a path toward living restored. Whether you are moved to join us in prayer for the men and their families, or feel led to partner with us through financial giving, your involvement makes a tangible difference. We also welcome dedicated volunteers who wish to mentor or support our programs, and you can invite Cornell to share the vision of The Second Chance Initiative at your church, organization, or event.