Second Chance Village

10/20/2026

Helping someone rebuild their life requires more than helping them survive!

I've spent years proving it.

After experiencing nearly a decade of homelessness myself, I founded Second Chance Village because I wanted to build something different from the systems I had spent so much time navigating.

People need food, housing, transportation, and assistance. I've also seen how much it matters to have somewhere to belong, something meaningful to do, and people who recognize you for more than whatever crisis brought you through the door.

I've recently begun organizing years of study, lived experience, and practical program development into a serious research manuscript examining the relationship between identity, environment, personal agency, and social reintegration.

The central idea is that when people have opportunities to become contributors, artists, mentors, organizers, and leaders within their own communities, those experiences may help them develop confidence, meaningful relationships, and greater control over their lives.

It's a theory we're working to examine, not a result I'm claiming we've already proven.

Second Chance Village is where I've been putting these ideas into practice.

Through peer support, Mental Martial Arts, community activities, creative programs, and everyday mutual assistance, we're building opportunities for people to participate in something instead of simply receiving services.

We need help keeping that work going. Our basic operating expenses alone are approximately $1,400 each month.

Your donations help us maintain our space, purchase program supplies, provide practical assistance, and strengthen our ability to document and evaluate our work.

If you've ever believed people deserve more than a label, a diagnosis, or a permanent place at the bottom of somebody else's system, I hope you'll consider supporting us.

Every contribution helps. Sharing this post helps, too.

Supplies, support, solutions and wellness for trauma survivors in Akron. We are peer-led, street-tested, and built by the people we serve. A FAMILY WITH A CODE We look out for one another, and that code exists for the protection and benefit of everyone who follows it. People who used to run with the...

10/19/2026

10/19/2026

Not telling you to do anything illegal. You have to commit an irreversible act. Something that cannot be undone. A man who risks nothing will be the first to bolt to to the door at the first sign of trouble. The real risk is time, reputation, identity and the things you risk, the things you lose forever to become one of the most powerful builders on earth. What are your partners willing to put on the table?

10/18/2026

COMMUNITY HELP NEEDED

On Sunday, October 4, 2026, around 2:20 AM, our store was hit by a theft. Over $1,500 in equipment, store inventory and cash was taken, including community donation money.

What was taken:
- Apple MacBook
- On-n-Party portable speaker
- Box of Doritos variety bags
- $275 in cash

We have the complete surveillance footage of the incident available.

If you recognize the person in this photo or have seen these items around town, please send us a private message.

If you can, help us replace what was lost:
Cash App: https://cash.app/$IArmTheHomeless
PayPal: https://paypal.me/secondchancevillage
Venmo: https://venmo.com/IArmTheHomeless
(Scan codes are on the image.)

Full details: https://secondchancevillage.org/community-help-needed-theft-at-our-store-october-4-2026/

Please share. Thank you for looking out for our community space.

10/15/2026

The Neon Skeleton Candystore

AN ARTS INITIATIVE FROM SECOND CHANCE VILLAGE

Second Chance Village is stepping into a new chapter with the launch of our Arts Initiative Program, a community-driven effort that treats creative practice as a real pathway toward stability, self-worth, and belonging. Alongside the peer support, outreach, and stabilization work we have been doing for nearly a decade, this initiative opens the door for participants, peers, and allies to make art together, tell their own stories, and build something they can share with the world. We believe that recovery, healing, and rebuilding a life are not only clinical processes; they are creative ones, and the Arts Initiative gives that side of the work a home.

Through this program, Second Chance Village supports songwriting, recording, visual art, writing, performance, puppetry, and hands-on workshops. It provides space, equipment access, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities so that people who have lived through homelessness, addiction, incarceration, family separation, and other hard chapters have a real place to create and be heard on their own terms.

INTRODUCING THE NEON SKELETON CANDYSTORE

Born directly out of the Arts Initiative Program, The Neon Skeleton Candystore is an art collective and collaborations group led by Ryan Scanlon, founder and director of Second Chance Village. It is a working home for artists to come together across mediums, share ideas, trade skills, and put out work that reflects who they actually are. The collective is built around consent, credit, ownership, and fair compensation for every contributor, so that the people making the art are the ones who benefit from it.

The album below is the first of many upcoming musical projects from The Neon Skeleton Candystore. Going forward, this page will also host other work from the collective, including additional music, visual art, writing, and other creative projects as they are ready to share.

LATEST RELEASE

Dependency, Withdrawal, Relapse & Other Symptoms Of A Heart Condition is the debut release from The Neon Skeleton Candystore – fourteen original songs written and recorded through the Arts Initiative. The record is about dependency and the people caught in it, written from lived experience rather than observation. It contains explicit language and adult themes and is intended for adult listeners.

LISTEN

Two tracks from the album, "Candyman" and "Under A Spell," are free to stream on our site. Explicit language.

Copies are $25, and proceeds go back into recording equipment, artwork, and studio time for the members who use the space. Purchase and download the album here: https://ko-fi.com/s/06fd5577fc

Coming in October

The collective’s second album, fourteen new songs, drops this October. Check back for the release.

WHY WE MAKE THINGS

“Creating art saved my life.”

— Bucket, visual artist

“Second Chance Village gave me a place to play my songs for people who understood me.”

— Kenny, in memoriam, musician and songwriter. Second Chance Village remembers Kenny saying this.

THE CANDYSTORE ROOM

The Neon Skeleton Candystore also has a room of its own: an upstairs space in our building with a candy and drink counter and a lounge where people can gather.

IN THE SPACE

We’re now keeping count of participants, finished artwork, songs, recordings, workshops and performances, and we’ll update these numbers as the collective grows.

See it on our site: https://secondchancevillage.org/the-neon-skeleton-candystore/

10/15/2026

Dojo

THE MENTAL MARTIAL ARTS DOJO

The Mental Martial Arts Dojo is where peer support meets discipline. Members train hands-on skills in emotional regulation, communication, personal accountability, and community leadership. We meet people where they are and build from there.

STUDENT LEVELS

STUDENT

Every member begins as a Student. Students are actively learning the core teachings of the sensei, building foundational skills in emotional regulation, peer support, communication, and personal accountability. Students participate in weekly classes and community outreach.

DISCIPLE

Disciples are honor students: members who have demonstrated outstanding progress and a deep commitment to the sensei’s teachings. Advancement to Disciple is earned, not given. A Disciple leads by example, mentors other students, and takes on greater responsibility within the dojo. If you are consistently showing up, applying what you learn, and lifting others around you, Disciple status may be in your future.

SPONSOR A DOJO SEAT

Sponsorship helps expand access and program capacity so more people can train and stabilize.

• Sponsor a day: $25
• Sponsor a week: $100

Full sponsorship options: https://secondchancevillage.org/donate/

NEED A SPONSORED SEAT?

Contact us to request free or subsidized participation: https://secondchancevillage.org/contact/

PROGRAM REVENUE DISCLOSURE

The Mental Martial Arts Dojo is a core program of Second Chance Village, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Dojo participation fees and sponsorships fund program delivery, including instructor time, cognitive training materials, and facility costs. Sponsored seats ensure access for participants who cannot afford fees. All Dojo revenue is reinvested into SCV’s charitable programming and is substantially related to our exempt purpose of providing wellness, peer support, and stabilization services to trauma survivors.

See it on our site: https://secondchancevillage.org/classes/

10/15/2026

Gallery

Art that is being featured, or has been featured, in our gallery spaces: painting, drawing and sculpture made by our community.

PAINTING AND DRAWING

• Winged figure: painting with a red heart and yellow crown.
• The Monster of Frankenstein: colored drawing.
• Sock Puppets Rule: drawing on pink paper.
• Yellow on black: painted cutouts of a butcher, cleaver in hand.
• Watercolor landscape: open, scattered color across the page.

SCULPTURE

• Spacecraft: found objects glued together and painted gray to look like a spacecraft.

See it on our site: https://secondchancevillage.org/gallery/

10/15/2026

Arts Initiative

The Arts Initiative is Second Chance Village’s creative recovery program. It treats making art as a real pathway toward stability, self-worth and belonging. People who have lived through homelessness, addiction, incarceration, family separation and other hard chapters get space, equipment, mentorship and a community to create with.

WHY CREATIVE RECOVERY

A person who would never walk into something labeled a recovery program might walk into a recording session. Someone who feels uneasy in a support group might help build a prop, paint, perform or work on an event. Once people are part of a community where they’re useful, known and expected to come back, relationships form. Those relationships become pathways to peer support, recovery resources, work, transportation and housing help.

The Arts Initiative is built into our peer support work, not added on to it. It runs alongside our Sharing Circles, the Mental Martial Arts Dojo and the Mobile Peer Support Club.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS DO

• Music and recording: songwriting, recording and producing original music in our clubhouse studio.

• Visual art: drawing, painting, album and poster art, and collaborative pieces.

• Writing: lyrics, poetry, monologues and personal stories.

• Theatre Lab: character development, improvisation, vocal work, movement and performance.

• Puppetry and making: puppet building, costumes, props and other hands-on maker projects.

• Sharing the work: listening sessions, showcases and events where participants share what they’ve made.

INSIDE THE ARTS INITIATIVE

Live music nights, recording sessions, drawing sessions and maker projects. Finished pieces are shown in our Gallery: https://secondchancevillage.org/gallery/

THE NEON SKELETON CANDYSTORE

The Neon Skeleton Candystore is the art collective that grew out of the Arts Initiative, led by founder and director Ryan Scanlon. Releases from the collective, including music written for adult listeners, are on The Neon Skeleton Candystore page: https://secondchancevillage.org/the-neon-skeleton-candystore/

SUPPORT THE ARTS INITIATIVE

Donations pay for recording equipment, art supplies, studio time and showcase costs. Artists, musicians and makers who want to volunteer time or teach a skill are welcome to reach out.

See it on our site: https://secondchancevillage.org/arts-initiative/

10/15/2026

Mobile Peer Support Club

The Mobile Peer Support Club takes our clubhouse on the road. We set up in parks, community spaces and local events with art, games, music and sharing circles. Anyone can stop by. You don’t need an appointment, a referral or a diagnosis, and you don’t have to be part of any program.

Some people will never walk into an agency or sign up for a support group. They might sit down to make art, join a game or listen in on a circle. That’s where trust starts, and trust is what makes it possible to ask for help.

WHAT HAPPENS AT A POP-UP

• Art and creative activities: drawing, painting, writing, music and other hands-on projects anyone can join.

• Games: cooperative and strategy games, including the chess, card and brain-teaser tools we use in the Mental Martial Arts Dojo.

• Sharing circles: peer-led circles where people can talk about goals, setbacks and what’s going on in their lives.

• Peer conversations: one-on-one time with people who have lived through homelessness, addiction and trauma themselves.

• Resource connections: when someone asks for help with food, housing, recovery, transportation, work or benefits, we share information and connect them to local services.

People can stay for five minutes or the whole afternoon. Nobody is pressured to share or take part.

WHERE WE GO

Our mobile outreach runs from our two home bases, the Dojo and the Clubhouse, and reaches people across Akron and Summit County. We bring supplies, food and support directly to the places people are.

Akron Community Foundation awarded Second Chance Village $2,500 from its Capital Fund toward an outreach vehicle, helping us bring supplies, food and peer support directly to people across Akron and Summit County.

COMING TO BATH TOWNSHIP

We’re planning 4 to 12 Mobile Peer Support Club pop-ups in Bath Township over the coming year, at parks, community spaces and local events. We’ll post dates and locations once they’re set. If you’re part of a Bath organization, event or congregation and would like to host a pop-up, please get in touch.

HELP US SHOW UP

Pop-ups run on volunteers, drivers, art and game supplies, and gas money. You can host a pop-up, volunteer as a driver, donate supplies or give to keep the club moving.

Get involved: https://secondchancevillage.org/get-involved/

See it on our site: https://secondchancevillage.org/mobile-peer-support-club/

10/15/2026

Programs & Services

We meet people where they are. Here is how we show up:

MENTAL MARTIAL ARTS DOJO

Daily skill-building for emotional regulation, discipline, and recovery-ready routine. Sessions use cognitive tools like chess, playing cards, and brain teasers to build focus, patience, and tactical thinking.

PEER SUPPORT CLUBHOUSE

Sharing Circles, recovery groups, and goal-oriented support in a consistent community setting. Members use cognitive tools plus structured circles and practical support.

ARTS INITIATIVE

Peer support and recovery through artist identity. A peer-led creative studio where music, visual art, writing, performance, and collaborative projects become tools for healing, connection, and self-determination. Participants build support networks and recovery skills while creating work, sharing lived experience, and discovering that their voice has value.

MOBILE OUTREACH & DROP-IN SERVICES

Street-level outreach, drop-in support, food runs, and practical problem-solving. Outreach launches from two bases: the Dojo home and the Clubhouse home.

WOMEN’S WINTER CRISIS RESPITE

Short-term winter stabilization for women during high-risk weather. Respite began during Akron’s snowfall season in 2025.

HOUSING STABILIZATION

Lived Experience House (Pilot Program) plus Affordable Housing Coordination. Preparing to launch a peer-guided residential program with short-term stays and housing step planning.

SUPPORT THESE PROGRAMS

Every dollar keeps our doors open and our team in the field. Sponsor a seat, fund supplies, or give any amount.

HOW YOUR SUPPORT IS USED

Second Chance Village is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations, sponsorships, and program fees fund only the programs listed on this page. Full governance and financial details are on our About page.

Donate or sponsor a seat: https://secondchancevillage.org/donate/

See it on our site: https://secondchancevillage.org/programs-services/