Second Verses

April is Second Chance Month.

At Second Verses, we believe a second chance isn’t just a door that opens when someone walks out of prison. It begins inside — in the moments when a person remembers they are more than their worst day.

Music does that. A song does that.

Here’s what we also know: nearly *70% of people released from prison are arrested again within three years. Not because people don’t want better lives. But because wanting better and being prepared for better are two very different things.

This month, we’re sharing stories, statistics, and hard truths about what it actually takes for a second chance to have a fighting shot. We hope you’ll follow along.

Second chances start with a second verse.

*(Bureau of Justice Statistics)

Over the past year, it has become clear that the work we do inside of prisons is often best left inside of prisons. You may have noticed we haven’t posted much this year—and that was by design.

But today, on Giving Tuesday, we’d love to share just a glimpse of what your generosity made possible in 2025.

Because of your support:

• We made four trips to Mississippi State Penitentiary (Parchman Farm), working across multiple units within the sprawling 28-square-mile institution. Every visit was meaningful, productive, and deeply needed.

• The Parchman Band—a revived inmate blues band—continued to grow in confidence and purpose. Watching these men rediscover identity and dignity through music has been one of the most powerful pictures of rehabilitation we’ve ever witnessed.

• Our death row songwriting class remained a safe and honest place for emotional processing, especially after two executions this year, including one of our own participants. Showing up for these men in their grief mattered more than words can capture.

• We helped facilitate donations of instruments, instructional materials, and music gear throughout the prison, expanding access to meaningful creative expression.

• We launched a new program in Parchman’s geriatric/nursing unit, a population often forgotten. Seeing music reconnect aging men—including those facing cognitive decline—to memory, emotion, and joy was one of the most humbling experiences of our year.

• At Walker State Prison in Georgia, our long-standing songwriting program continued to thrive, with participants experiencing genuine emotional breakthroughs through the power of creating a song.

• Beyond prison walls, our HopeSong program continued serving cancer patients facing terminal diagnoses—bringing presence, comfort, and connection through music when it’s needed most.

This is the work your generosity fuels.
This is the hope you help carry into places many people never see.

If Second Verses has a place in your heart, we would be honored if you’d consider supporting the work again this Giving Tuesday. But whether you give or not, please know this:

Your belief in the healing power of music has touched lives in ways you may never fully know. And for that—we are deeply, sincerely grateful.

Donate here: https://www.2ndverses.org/donate

This new year, we invite you to explore new possibilities through music—one note at a time. Let’s kick off the new year by embracing fresh goals, new melodies, and the shared joy of making meaningful music.

We’re excited to be partnering with Keith and Kristyn Getty for their “An Irish Christmas Tour.” Check out the digital event program book to see our feature and join us in a city near you!

Explore tour dates: https://getty.pub/3CYp5Yw

View the program book: https://getty.pub/programbk

Today’s the day! Supporting Second Verses helps us take the power of music through to those who are struggling to find . Your support helps send into to employ the rehabilitative power of music to men and women who will be re-entering society in the future. Hope. Healing. Reconciliation. Restoration. Forgiveness. All of these are born through your donations.

Click link in bio to support our 2024 campaign!

Share the music, share the love this . Your donation helps us bring the transformative power of music through songwriting to those we serve.

Let’s make a difference together.

Be part of hope and healing through the power of music.

Donate here: https://givebutter.com/LMCPZF?s=3NMGqS

🎶✨ 7 Days to Make a Difference! ✨🎶

We're just ONE WEEK away from Giving Tuesday, and your support means everything. 💙

Your generosity fuels our mission to share the hope and healing power of music with those who need it most:

🎵 Cancer patients through our HopeSong program, bringing comfort and strength during their fight.

🎵 Incarcerated individuals in Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi, unlocking the rehabilitative power of music to inspire change and growth.

This Giving Tuesday, let’s show the world that music changes lives. Your gift, big or small, helps us continue this important work. 🎵

📅 Save the date: December 3rd! Let’s make a difference together. 💫

This , celebrate the healing harmony of music with Second Verses. Our programs take the power of music into prisons to help inmates use music as a rehabilitative and healing tool.

We also have a program outside of prison walls that has really taken off in 2024. HopeSong pairs songwriters with cancer patients to write a song of hope and healing. Your donation helps us continue to make a difference through the power of song.

Will you consider becoming a partner with Second Verses this Giving Tuesday (12/3/24)?

Our donation link for Giving Tuesday is live now!
https://givebutter.com/LMCPZF