OUR STORY
Second Chance Battalion (SCB) began with a clear mission: to dismantle systemic barriers and empower justice-impacted individuals to build a future defined by dignity and community support. Change is like the seasons all in due time under the right conditions.
BACKGROUND: SECOND CHANCE BATTALION (SCB)
We are a 501 c(3) non-profit corporation that was founded in Michigan after the global pandemic in 2021 by individuals who have a deep connection to the criminal justice system. This non-profit was a part of the vision from 94-year-old Clarence Kinzel (Founding Board Member) who in his early life was a 17 year-old teenager that enlisted as a peacekeeper during World War II as a soldier with the 754th Tank Battalion of the United States Army. Clarence was a welder by trade and worked in the Toledo, Ohio Jeep manufacturing plant in the 1940's.
During his time in hospice and shortly before his death, Clarence asked his grandson, Dr. Aaron Kinzel (Founding Board Member) who did not serve in the military to use his family home and small farm to continue to help justice impacted people and offer priority services to military veterans such as Gulf War Veteran, Jay Elias (Founding Board Member). Both Aaron and Jay spent nearly a decade in prison, struggled with PTSD when released from incarceration and faced adversity re-acclimating to society. Today they both are successful professionals and serve as mentors to provide reentry services for other justice impacted people through Second Chance Battalion (SCB).
SCB provides justice impacted people, especially military veterans and their families with connections to resources such as housing, food, employment, education, and health care. We also offer trauma-informed workshops such as our Metal Health Art Therapy program designed by Jay Elias. This work is guided by clinicians and artists that discuss traumatic events in a safe place and provide techniques to process and heal for participants while making art through sand molds that will be cast into metal.
You can assist our efforts by making an IRS tax deductible donation via cash, check, gift card, or money order made out to Second Chance Battalion (SCB) at PO Box 390, Petersburg, MI 49270 or online via our website. We also accept donations of items that have a fair market value estimate for tax purposes. We greatly appreciate your support!
Clarence returned from the Asia-Pacific region after honorably serving his country with what was commonly referred to then as "Shell Shock" or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A diagnosis of PTSD that impacts many veterans who were exposed to trauma during their service years. This caused him to retire early from his job at Jeep due to a mental health disability.
PTSD develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. It is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. Fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to help defend against danger or to avoid it. This "fight-or-flight" response is a typical reaction meant to protect a person from harm. Nearly everyone will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. Those who continue to experience problems may be diagnosed with PTSD. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened, even when they are not in danger.
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OF OUR STORY?
Your involvement fuels the fight for second chances. Join our network of volunteers and supporters today to help individuals rebuild their lives with dignity.