Carl Carlson, Founder and Director of Men of Valor in Nashville, TN, taped the above video on September 11, 2014. The recording was made just 32 days before his peaceful passing in his sleep on October 14, 2014.
The hole Carl leaves in our organization and our lives brings great sorrow, but knowing he is now in the arms of the Creator he so loved also brings us great joy. We can only imagine Carl was greeted with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
BIOGRAPHY:
Carl, an honorably discharged Vietnam Veteran, turned an abusive childhood and prison sentence into something positive when he founded Men of Valor. His innovative program has helped thousands of men in prison and their families, and Men of Valor’s results have been remarkable. Nationally, 70% of men released from prison will return to prison within three years; however, men who complete and graduate from the Men of Valor program have a recidivism rate of less than 15%.
Though it started as a “one-man show” in 1997, Men of Valor now has a staff of 14, over 120 volunteers, and a board of top business leaders. Before passing, Carl’s dream was to build a Men of Valor campus that would allow our ministry to offer residential support and one year of residential and aftercare support to far more men.
This dream is now becoming a reality.
Read Carl’s horrific and heavenly story in his book.