An opinion piece by Steve Riach
I have asked that question hundreds of times as I’ve shared the One Heart Project’s mission with people across America.
Nearly every one of us has experienced a second chance in some area of our life – with our health, our marriage, our family, our career, our finances, our relationships.
In your own personal experience, can you imagine where you would be today if you had not been presented with that second chance?
For the youth we work with – justice involved and high-risk youth – the opportunity for a second chance is their only hope.
The power of the second chance has been driven home to me so many times as I have witnessed the results of our work in the lives of the youth we serve.
Not too long ago, a retaining wall in my yard was about to topple over. I called the company that installed it, and they sent a couple of their guys out to work on it. I met them in my backyard and asked if they needed anything. As I started to head back into the house, one of the young men said, “Hey, I know you… One Heart.”
As I turned around, I immediately recognized him. Juan was one of the first youth we worked with after launching the initiative a decade ago.
I asked Juan to catch me up on what had happened in his life. He shared with me that he had gotten married 4 years earlier and had a three-year-old daughter. He then said something that made clear the true impact of our work.
He reminded me that he went to prison as a youth because he never knew his father and had no guidance. He stated that his daughter will never have that experience. “I put her to bed every night,” he said. “I read her a book and pray for her. She will always know her father loves her and is here for her. She will never go the direction I went as a youth.”
He finished, “Life is good. It’s hard. But it’s good.”
I turned to the young man next to him to see how Juan’s story might have affected him. Juan saw my eyes shift and said, “This is my brother, Christopher.”
Christopher jumped right in and told me that he went to prison too as a youth, and that he and Juan were separated for 9 years.
“Everything One Heart did for Juan, Juan poured into me. I have a three-year-old daughter, too. I put her to bed every night, read her a book and pray for her, too. She’ll never go the same direction I did as a youth.”
For the youth we serve, the power of a second chance is not just for today, its multi-generational.
The impact means not only transforming the lives of Juan and Christopher and those like them. It also means breaking the cradle-to-prison pipeline for their children. This multiplication effect means thousands of transformed lives, safter communities, sustainable families, and fulfilled destinies.
That is the value of a second chance.
And its why we do what we do every day at the One Heart Project.
We would love for you to join us.
Steve Riach is the CEO of the One Heart Project, a national 501c3 nonprofit that equips justice involved and high-risk youth with the tools, skills, and healthy relationships they need to navigate life successfully. One Heart works with youth in counties across Kansas, including Shawnee, Douglas, and Wyandotte.
