Second Chance

06/18/2026

🌱 Did you know Second Chance has a Youth Garden Program?

The Second Chance Youth Garden Program helps cultivate future leaders through hands-on work experience in urban gardens, cooking and nutrition classes, and job development workshops.

Since joining Second Chance in 2020, Educator and Urban Farmer Lucken Gibore has helped create a space where young people gain more than gardening skills—they build confidence, responsibility, and real-world job skills while earning a stipend and giving back to their community.

Lucken's work reflects the heart of Second Chance's mission: creating opportunities for growth, resilience, and self-sufficiency—one seed, one lesson, and one young person at a time.

🍅 Support the program and enjoy fresh, locally grown produce. Order today at secondchanceyouthgarden.com.

06/09/2026

"I will never give up on myself. I will never stop trying to reach beyond the stars." ✨

These powerful words from Felicia were shared during our recent Second Chance program graduation and beautifully capture the spirit of personal growth and transformation.

Through reflection, self-discovery, and a commitment to moving forward, participants in the Job Readiness Training (JRT) program learn that their past does not define their future. Growth isn't about where you've been—it's about having the courage to keep showing up.

Thank you, Felicia, for reminding us that resilience, gratitude, and hope can carry us farther than we ever imagined.

05/22/2026

05/21/2026

The Heart Behind Second Chance

These are the people working every day to help create pathways to hope, healing, stability, and self-sufficiency for justice-impacted San Diegans.

Pictured: Estela Nunez, JRT Facilitator; Mary Chambers-Walker, Housing Manager; Judy Lawton, Board Secretary; Bill Payne, President & CEO; Scott Taylor, JRT Program Manager; and Alex Macias, JRT Director of Operations.

The compassion, commitment, and belief in second chances within this organization is truly something special.

05/20/2026

“Because of you, I’m standing here today — sober, healing, growing, and graduating.”

During her graduation speech for Class 293 at Second Chance, Bessie V. honored the people who never gave up on her — especially her sisters, Hazel and Charity.

Through addiction, incarceration, mental health struggles, and moments when she had given up on herself, they stayed. They forgave. They believed. They loved her through it all.

“You didn’t just stand by me… you became part of the reason I survived.”

05/18/2026

“I am not who I was.
I am becoming who I’m meant to be.”

Those powerful words from Bessie V. stopped the room during the Class 293 graduation ceremony at Second Chance.

After walking through addiction, incarceration, mental health struggles, and some of the darkest moments of her life, Bessie stood in front of a room full of people and chose courage, honesty, and hope.

Her story is a reminder that healing is not linear, growth takes strength, and transformation is possible.

Not everyone gets a second chance. But everyone deserves one.

05/01/2026

April is Second Chance Month.

A time to recognize that people are more than their past—and that with the right support, opportunity, and community, lives can change.

Every day, individuals are rewriting their stories and creating new paths forward.

✨ On the other side of hardship is possibility.

04/16/2026

— San Diego instructor offers 'Second Chance' through job readiness program. Estela Nunez, drawing from her own struggles with poverty and homelessness, inspires at-risk youth and ex-offenders at Second Chance San Diego. In this Zevely Zone, CB8's America's 250: Red, White, and You campaign honors fellow Americans who make up the fabric of our nation.

CBS 8's America's 250: Red, White, and You campaign features Estela Nunez, who turned her past struggles into inspiration for those overcoming the odds.

04/16/2026

Check out this segment featuring the heart & soul of our Job Readiness Training Program

CBS 8's America's 250: Red, White, and You campaign features Estela Nunez, who turned her past struggles into inspiration for those overcoming the odds.

03/09/2026

❤“I want my kids to be proud of me.”

🔔That’s what one graduate from Job Readiness Training (JRT) Class 291 said at graduation. He shared that he wished his mom and dad could have been there — because this was a big deal.

And then he said something even more powerful:

“I’m proud of myself.”

Just four weeks earlier, he was “on edge” during his intake interview — unsure and guarded.

But someone believed in him.

Through JRT, he gained structure, accountability, and confidence. He thanked the staff who accepted him, the instructor who guided him, and the classmates who supported one another along the way.

“I stayed focused and gave myself a chance,” he said.

Before sitting down, he left his peers with this:

👏“Make your next move your best move.”