Who We Are
Higher Love has been described by our founder as “an eclectic group of hope sowers” with a common mission to share messages of hope, love and worth to inmates, their families, and facility staff.
As a faith-oriented community, with hearts that desire to serve well, we hold dear the words of Micah 6:8, and desire "to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God,” alongside those in need of care and healing.
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Our theology, however, isn't tied to a specific church or denomination. We find beauty in our variety as we join together as one to share these four truths: you are loved, you have great worth, God is with you, and you are not forgotten.
Our Message
Our message is simple and consistent wherever we go:
You are loved.
You have great worth.
God is with you.
You are not forgotten.
Our Story
The first inklings of this outreach began in 1998, when Nashville businessman, Ron Miller, was unable to pull away from an NBC Dateline segment.
On screen was Timothy Kane, a 14 year-old boy who had just been tried as an adult and given a life sentence, despite the courts agreeing the boy had never touched a victim.
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The boy’s spirit of humility and hope in the face of his circumstances, took ahold of Ron, and their lives became forever intertwined.
Although Ron had never visited a prison and knew nothing about prison culture, his experience as a teacher helped him gain placement on Tim’s phone and visitation list, enabling him to travel to Florida dozens of times to encourage, mentor, and share stories with Tim.
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Soon, along with partner and musician, John Starnes, Ron was meeting other inmates on longer trips... and the men could see the difference that their care and interest was making. To set aside conventional labels and see the inmates how God sees them seemed to help inmates gain a sense of peace, purpose, and empathy toward others. It began to show in the culture of the prison itself, and even spread beyond the walls, achieving something unforeseen: Helping former inmates remain free citizens, with richer, more meaningful lives.
The notion of reduced recidivism was confirmed through several meetings with DOC officials in Florida, and in 2009, Ron began a larger outreach with fellow friends, speakers and musicians -- sometimes as many as 25 at a time! "Timothy's Gift, Inc." -- named for the blessings that spread from those early encounters -- was granted non-profit status in 2012. But the work and the journey was just beginning!
Timothy's Gift became “one of the most innovative and effective programs for prisoner care available anywhere,” according to one DOC official. And now, over 35,000 inmates, 150 prisons, and 5 states later, the love continues to grow in new and ever-deepening ways.
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THANK YOU to everyone who brought us here. We're excited about all that's in store for our latest chapter in our story: Higher Love, Inc... which is the essence of what we aim to bring, today, tomorrow and for generations to come.
