GREEN COVE SPRINGS—For much of the ceremony, Pastor John Smith simply focused on a small patch of grass trying to survive in a wide swath of sand.

Others were eloquent about the impossible work involved in moving the dream of The Vineyard Transitional Center a significant step closer to reality by breaking ground and starting the early foundation work of a project that has been 15 years in the making.

But like the meager blades of grass, Sanders has survived despite being surrounded by unthinkable, if not unsurmountable, challenges.

“I remember when John told me what he wanted to do,” said former Green Cove Springs Mayor Van Royal. “I asked what it was going to cost. He said $1 million. He said he was going to have a kick-ball game. A kick-ball game? I think he raised about $406 with that game.”

Sanders’ belief Clay County needed a transitional center to house as many as 12 newly released inmates from the Clay County Jail to give them a second chance to reconnect with their families and prepare them to provide them with a legitimate opportunity to rejoin the community outweighed any doubt.

And on Friday, Nov. 15, that faith led community leaders to a sandy lot at 518 Pine St. to break ground days before the center's construction started.

“I mean, it’s been over 15 years to get to this date,” Sanders said. “To see the vision getting a little bit closer to, you know, what God had set before us., where we are at a point where we can start thinking about turning dirt (this) week.”

Sanders forged friendships with allies like Royal, Penney Farms President and CEO Teresa Scott, Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook and Operation New Hope President and CEO Reggie Fullwood.

Sanders is the center’s president, while Joseph Smith is the executive director. They are inseparable. They share the same vision to provide a second chance and make a difference, one person – and one family – at a time.

“Our goal is not only to end recidivism but to put families back together,” Smith said. “We want to return the family foundation to where it should be. Once we transform Clay, we will go to the next one (county). I believe if you give someone hope, you give them something inside, and they will start to believe I didn’t. I could do this. We’re called the 'Home of the Second Chances.' Once they come in here, we want to break that generational curse.”

Fullwood said statistics show that without a job or a place to go, nearly one-third of all inmates return to jail. However, for inmates who go through transitional programs that include job and life skill training that will be required at Vineyard, those numbers drop to less than 8%.

After years of fundraising and praying, Sanders and Smith can see their dream finally becoming a reality. By the new year, the walls are expected to start going up.

By then, Sanders also believes more grass will be growing  in sand on the same lot. That’s because they share the same resolve to beat insurmountable challenges.