Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is donating a portion of his official salary to a faith-based nonprofit prison ministry headquartered in Henrico, Virginia.
Youngkin gives away 25% of his salary each quarter to a nonprofit in the Commonwealth. On March 31, while touring Prince William County Adult Detention Center in Manassas, he and his wife Virginia first lady Suzanne Youngkin, announced their donation of $43,725 to the Good News Jail & Prison Ministry to further support the work of chaplains in jails and prisons.
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“I pledged to serve without accepting a salary to support Virginians every way I can,” Youngkin said. “The Good News Jail & Prison Ministry exemplifies the heart and Spirit of Virginia by providing hope, resources, and transformational opportunities for incarcerated Virginians. This administration continues to respect the law and those inside the criminal justice system with increased access to mental health services, best practices for trade skill acquisition, and by maintaining excellence in the restoration of rights process, among other priorities.”
The Virginia governor also affirmed his support of giving people a second chance.
“The Good News Ministry has decided to shine a light on a very simple yet profound truth that there is hope and there is value in every single person on this planet. That is a wonderful truth,” Youngkin said. “The Good News team has kind of brought together this comprehensive way to walk hand-in-hand with the Lord, but also hand-in-hand with each other.”
Former Prince William inmates Brandi Hinegardner and Matthew Feigleson spoke of the moral support they received from the ministry in their efforts to reform themselves in their post-prison lives, according to InsideNova.
“It’s praise to God that I am here today to be able to stand before you and give you a little testimony,” Hinegardner said. “I’ve been out of this facility for four years. I am still clean and sober. I still have a full-time job. I am still living in my own home. I have my own vehicle, and I have a full-time relationship with my mother, my daughter, and my grandchildren, which … I had none of when I left this facility.”
She also credited the religious support received from the nonprofit and backing from the corrections staff for the progress she has made since being released, InsideNova reported.
Suzanne Youngkin also praised the Good News program as a unique “marriage of community and commitment.”
“It marries persons who have dedicated themselves to the Christian faith and to sturdy…people in the Christian faith,” she said.
Good News Jail & Prison Ministry is the largest independent supplier of chaplains for jails and prisons worldwide. The ministry’s leader noted Youngkin’s donation will jumpstart its annual Second Chance Day on April 20.
“We thank Governor Youngkin for his generous support of the work of our chaplains,” Jon Evans, president of Good News, said in a press release. “His support will further help our chaplains to see incarcerated citizens return to their communities with a transformed perspective and a second chance.”
More than 11 million people are incarcerated globally, according to the nonprofit. Second Chance Day celebrates the opportunity God gives everyone, even those behind bars, to begin a new life. The goal for the day is to raise $150,000 to support the work of chaplains worldwide.
Chaplains serve as the religious program coordinator for prisons. In addition, they are responsible for pastoral care, facilitation and accommodation of religious requests, coordination of clergy visits, and a host of other personal ministry activities.
The ministry reports that its chaplains also recruit, train, and coordinate religious volunteer activities. Among the 15 facilities where Good News chaplains serve in Virginia, 500+ hours of volunteer time weekly is provided by churches and the community.
Good News provides chaplains in 22 U.S. states and 21 foreign countries. Three hundred chaplains and staff ministers in 350 facilities with daily access to over 400,000 incarcerated men, women, and young people. In addition, the organization has more than 100,000 active volunteers.
For more information about the Good News Jail & Prison Ministry, click here.
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