Each week on “Making a Difference,” our host, Pam Vasilevskis, interviews people making a difference in their community. Today, Pam had the pleasure of talking with Shelley Kofahl from Timothy’s Gift.
In 1998, 14 year-old Timothy Kane of Florida was charged with murder, tried as an adult, and given two life sentences despite the courts agreeing he’d never touched a victim. Ron Miller, a Nashville businessman, watched the story unfold on the nightly news and was moved by Timothy’s perspective, humility, and desire to positively influence the lives of the inmates around him. Knowing that it only takes but one event – one moment – to change the course of a life, Ron chose to dedicate his life to creating new “moments” for inmates.
His desire was to help them realize God’s love, recover their sense of worth, and discover the feeling of doing good for themselves and others. After years of conversations with DOC leaders, Ron’s notion that an improved sense of self worth would positively impact the lives of inmates was confirmed and Timothy’s Gift, Inc. was formed. Since its inception, Timothy’s Gift has been an agent of meaningful life changes to over 30,000 inmates and staff at more than 150 prisons throughout the southeast United States. We do this by bringing musical performances, deeply inclusive communion, and an overall reminder of self-worth to inmates through a unique brand of “concert.”
To learn more check out https://www.timothysgift.com.
What volunteer experience has impacted you the most? The ability to mentor the men and women we get to know after hearing their personal stories and developing relationships with them.
