Wildlife and nature

Animal shelters and rescues

Theater and dance

Rivers, parks and trails

Hunger and food

Schools and learning

Housing and homelessness

Community health

Mental health

Mentoring and foster care

Legal help and rights

Jobs and money help

Atlanta

The Triangle

Everywhere

The Collective Workshop

Royal Animal Refuge

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Georgia Advancing Communities Together

Atlanta Writers Club

Cobb Collaborative

Bosleys Place

Jewish Fertility Foundation

Georgia has one of the largest prison systems in the United States, costing Georgia taxpayers an average of $28,828 per inmate per year . One in 24 Georgians is under some form of correctional supervision; the national average is 1 in 60 . Ninety-six percent of offenders will return to our communities. We want them to return CHANGED .
Approximately 8 out 10 former offenders will return to prison in their lifetime (this is known as the recidivism rate).
An estimated 200,000 Georgia children have a parent in prison, not including children whose parents are in county jails or detention centers.
HeartBound Ministries is a non-profit outreach organization that provides programs and resources to meet the needs of the prison community -- inmates, their families, and correctional staff -- changing the culture from one of crime and incarceration to hope and restoration. HeartBound believes that a prison system can be more than just a place where people "serve time." We believe a prison system can be a place where lives are healed, transformed, and restored.
The cost of housing an inmate is staggering- approximately $28,828 per inmate each year. Thus, HeartBound's impact goes further than just positively influencing and changing a person's life. If changed lives result in lowered recidivism rates, the savings can be staggering.

Painting with a Purpose

Volunteer at Returning Hearts events

Volunteer at Returning Hearts event

Give

A Haircut and a Shave

Who Will Do the Work?

How to Unite

"I'm not a bad person"

Back at the Prison, A Rose Will Be in Bloom

We Plant. We Nurture. We Wait.

Truth in Fiction

Remembering Jody's Daughter

Hummingbirds, Cucumbers, and Hope

Eating Ice Cream

Milestones After Release

Institutions Don't Change People

HeartBound 2025 Annual Impact Report.pdf

HeartBound 2024 EOY Report.pdf

HeartBound 2023 EOY Report.pdf

Andrea Shelton

Spencer Shelton

Grace Hall

Omar Howard

Adrienne Millis LPC

Catherine Geyer APC, CRC, NCC

Ana Ivey

Dr. John Richardson

Fred Eason

Jimmy Driskell

Don't forget, Songs in the Night tickets are on sale now! You don't want to miss this special night!

We can't wait to share this year's fundraising quilt, made by our "Ladies of Sew Beautiful" quilting class at Metro Transitional Center! Tickets are on sale now for Songs in the Night, you can get yours at the link in our bio!

We are so grateful for your support these past two weeks in the Gas South impact voting competition! Voting closes at 11:59PM tonight, so PLEASE head to the 🔗 in our bio if you have not already voted!

Voting is almost over! Make sure to vote for HeartBound at the 🔗 in our bio!

We are getting close! Head to the 🔗 in bio to vote NOW!

Thank you for voting so far! If you haven't yet, make sure to head to the 🔗 in bio!

It's not too late! Head to the 🔗 in our bio to vote now!

You don't want to miss this year's special performances from the Pulaski Women's Choir! You can purchase your tickets to Songs in the Night now at the link in our bio to secure your spot!

What’s scarier than Halloween? 🎃 A few thoughts here.😁 What’s not scary? Voting at www.gassouth.link/makeanimpact so @heartboundministries can win a $20K grant for kids programs! 🙏🏼❤️

You know what time it is! Time to VOTE FOR HEARTBOUND at the 🔗 in bio!!!

HELP US WIN! You can vote at the 🔗 in bio!

Let's help HeartBound win a grant from Gas South! Head over to the 🔗 in bio to vote NOW!

Happy Friday! Voting is still open for Gas South's Impact Investment! 🔗 in bio!

Volunteer IDs must be renewed EVERY year! Head to https://gdc.georgia.gov/community-support/volunteering/volunteer-renewal-application to renew yours if it expires this month!

HeartBound Ministries is up for a HUGE grant from Gas South! Head over to the 🔗 in bio to VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!

You don't want to miss this year's Songs in the Night event! You can buy tickets at the link in our bio!

Please reach out to Spencer at Spencer@HeartBoundMinistries.com if you or anyone you know is interested!

We are excited to announce that our Songs in the Night 2026 tickets are on sale NOW at the link in the bio!

Want to hear more about the life of our ministry? Head over to the link in our bio to subscribe!

The Clothing Closet at the Atlanta Transitional Center is running low on some items! Reach out to Spencer to donate!

Here are some of the recent projects at our The Next Door Project A.R.T. class! Thank you to our wonderful volunteers that make this class possible!

Save the date! Our 2026 Songs in the Night event will be on November 20th! Ticket sales will open soon!

Please reach out to Spencer at Spencer.HeartBound@gmail.com if you or anyone you know is interested!

Here are some of the recent projects at our The Next Door Project A.R.T. Class! Thank you to our wonderful volunteers that make this class possible!

Here are some of the recent projects at our Helms Facility Project A.R.T. class! Thank you to our wonderful volunteers that make this class possible!

Last chance! Our Painting with a Purpose event is tomorrow, so make sure to reserve your spot now! Space is limited!

Don't forget to reserve your spot for Painting with a Purpose! Only one week until this great night!

Congratulations to our program director Spencer and his new wife Madi! We are so excited to welcome Madi into the HeartBound family and can't wait to see what the future holds for them! ❤️

We are counting down the days until our next Painting with a Purpose event! You can sign up at the link in our bio!

Don't forget to reserve your spot for our third Painting with a Purpose event! You don't want to miss this year's special class from our very own Fred Eason!

Here are some of the recent projects at our Helms Facility Project A.R.T. class! Thank you to our wonderful volunteers that make this bi-weekly class possible!

We can't wait for our 2026 Painting with a Purpose event on July 9! Make sure to reserve your spot at the link in our bio!

We are so excited to be hosting Painting with a Purpose again this summer! You can register at the link in our bio or by scanning the QR code!

Here are some of the recent projects at our Metro TC Sip and Paint class! Thank you to our wonderful volunteers that make this weekly class possible!

We recently started a new Project A.R.T. program at Helms Facility! We are so excited about this program and can't wait to share more beautiful art pieces from the wonderful women there! 🎨

We had such a great year of Returning Hearts Celebrations thanks to our amazing volunteers, supportive staff at Burruss CTC and Walker SP, and the generosity of our HeartBound community. See y'all again in 2027!

Please join us in praying for our Returning Hearts Celebration at Walker SP this weekend! We are so excited for the 37 families we will be hosting and the 90 volunteers helping us make this amazing day happen!

Registration for Returning Hearts at Walker closes TODAY! Make sure to submit your forms!

Last call! Registration for Walker's RHC closes soon!

Registration to volunteer at Walker's Returning Hearts Celebration is still open! Register today at the link in our bio!

@girlsbreakingchains is now offering a scholarship for high school girls with an incarcerated parent! Please send this to anyone you know who may be interested in this opportunity!

Interested? Email Spencer at Spencer.heartbound@gmail.com!

Registration to volunteer at this year's Returning Hearts Celebration at Burruss CTC closes TOMORROW! Make sure to register and submit your forms by EOD tomorrow!

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2026

2025 and earlier