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 that 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.