NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Inmates in one Nashville facility were paid a special visit by country stars Friday.
Singer-songwriter Briana Calhoun and Kix Brooks, formerly of Brooks & Dunn, stopped by to share stories and play music as part of Calhoun’s Hope on the Inside outreach program. Calhoun started the program after overcoming a battle with addiction and being release from prison herself, so it’s a cause close to her heart.
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“Our mission is to empower the incarcerated with the tools and skills necessary to not just simply exist, but live with purpose,” Calhoun said. “We do that through entertainment and education.”
Calhoun told News 2 even though she has a teaching degree, she wanted to find another way to give back. She and Brooks, who serves as vice president of Hope on the Inside, started performing for inmates across the country.
“I managed to be able to get my teaching degree, but I felt like I wasn’t doing enough to give back,” Calhoun said. “Because there are so many people who don’t make it out of that system.”