On Friday, June 13, auto mechanic Bryant Collins was driving down Highway 72 in Georgia when he saw something peculiar on the side of the road.
“I had seen something out of the corner of my eye, and I thought it was a baby,” Collins recounted. “I just stopped and, when I got out, there was a baby … almost in the highway.”
The 15-month-old baby had crawled nearly 300 yards from her house, through a wooded area, down an embankment, and had nearly reached the road by the time Collins was able to rescue her from danger. He took the little girl into his car, waiting nearly two hours for authorities to arrive.
“The baby started crying,” Collins said, “so I turned my phone on and let her listen to some gospel music, and she calmed right down.”
Collins is rightly being hailed as a hero for potentially saving the life of a little girl. But there’s more to the story.
Collins is a former inmate, convicted for the manufacturing of cocaine. He served a 10-year sentence, and has remained clean for the five years post-release.
“When I was in prison, I made a very conscientious [sic] effort to change,” Collins said, “and I did.”
Roughly 700,000 inmates are released every year from state and federal correctional institutions. And while some of those, like Collins, are able to make a clean break from their criminal past, others lack the tools, resources, or even motivation to reintegrate into society. Current recidivism rates underscore the importance of preparing the 95 percent of prisoners who are ultimately released for a life beyond the prison walls.
This is why in-prison and reentry programs like those provided by Prison Fellowship are so vital. By providing both spiritual guidance and life skills training to men and women behind bars, Prison Fellowship seeks to give these inmates a chance to be restored – both in society, and to a God who loves them. And with post-release mentoring and support from “bridge churches,” former prisoners can receive the love and support to not repeat past poor choices.
If you are interested in helping to transform the lives of prisoners and their families, visit https://www.prisonfellowship.org/get-involved/ to see what opportunities to serve are available in your area.