Our Team

MISSION and VISION

Breakaway Outreach is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1995.

Our Mission is to reach youth for Christ, empowering them to breakaway from childhood hardship through gospel-centered communities that foster hope and restoration across cultures.

We believe every young person’s story can be rewritten by grace, redeemed by truth, and restored to purpose through the transforming power of Jesus.

Our VISION is to see every young person BREAKAWAY from everything and anything that stands in opposition to their God-given purpose, their fullest redemption in Christ, their resilience and dignity as human beings, and their potential to thrive in productive, purpose-filled lives that enrich their communities.

With a vision of helping youth “breakaway” from delinquency, founders Jimmy and Cindy Larche began the organization primarily as an outreach to at-risk teens in South Florida juvenile detention centers. Over the years—standing on the shoulders of faithful leaders and honoring the legacy of loved ones who paved the way—this mission has grown into an international network serving communities from the Appalachian region “to the ends of the earth.”

Today, our core programs in East Tennessee provide recovery-focused ministries for children impacted by hardship and trauma. Across the region and around the world, our growing missions network continues to multiply youth outreach movements through an ever-expanding range of Christ-centered initiatives.

Our STORY

The Redemption That Sparked a Movement

In September of 1987, Chaplain Alan Woody visited the Marion Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Ocala, Florida, for his regular weekly program with the incarcerated teenagers there. After he showed a Gospel Film about the Prodigal Son taken from one of Jesus’ parables in Luke 15, one of the youth inmates gave his life to Christ. His name was Jimmy Larche.

Jimmy had a troubled past. His trauma-affected childhood included abandonment, fatherlessness, abuse, violence, and family dysfunction/addiction. As a teenager, he twice ran away from home and hitchhiked across the country. He spent time in foster homes, homeless shelters, and had a stint in a psychiatric hospital in Washington D.C. He survived a near fatal suicide attempt when he was 15-years old. But everything changed the day he met Pastor Woody in that juvenile center, who became a life-long mentor and a restored figure of fatherhood for Jimmy.

Jimmy says he “was given a new and living hope,” and detailed this life-change more vividly in his book 13-Foot Coffins. While in college, Jimmy took up biblical studies and continued to visit juvenile centers and youth offender prisons to share his testimony and to give hope to inmates, pointing them to a “way out” of the cycle of delinquency. He became living proof that you don’t have to end up a statistic in the system. He started to mentor others and to disciple them in the way he had been mentored. “Just having one person in your corner can make all the difference in the world,” he often tells young people today.

Restorative Pathways: Juvenile Justice and Recovery Ministries

In 1995, Jimmy met his future wife, Cindy, and together they began facilitating weekly chaplaincy services at the Jonathan Dickinson S.T.O.P. Camp in Hobe Sound, Florida—a juvenile justice aftercare program for youth offenders. Cindy baked cookies for the youths while Jimmy led Bible studies. They brought in teams to offer sports ministries and special events that included music artists and life skills training workshops. The programs were eventually expanded to other regional juvenile facilities weekly. Jimmy became an ordained minister, and Breakaway Outreach was born with the vision of “helping kids breakaway from a troubled past.”

By 1999, Breakaway Outreach had expanded juvenile justice ministries to facilities all across the state of Florida and began offering mentoring initiatives for youths on probation and re-entry solutions for juvenile inmates being released back into their communities. A scholarship fund was started to send children affected by familial incarceration and other at-risk kids to summer camps. The impact of the organization was being recognized by the Department of Juvenile Justice, which led to an invitation to start facilitating training workshops in other regions to replicate these programs, leading to the formation of a national network of like-minded ministries.

Life-Changing Camps for Kids Facing Hardship

In 2007, the first Breakaway summer camp was launched to serve the special needs of at-risk and underserved children in the Appalachian region. This camp continues to provide creative, fun, and resilience-shaping adventures for kids affected by familial incarceration, poverty, parental substance addiction, abuse, domestic violence, divorce, trauma, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The camp ministry works closely with the child welfare and juvenile justice system, prison agencies, foster care, school districts, and families to provide solutions that help young people overcome negative stigmas and build foundations to achieve a better future. Campers are afforded scholarships to attend camp made possible by community partners. Camp also serves as a bridge to year-round mentoring relationships and KidVenturez programs for Breakaway kids.

A Catalyst for Global Missions Reaching Youth for Christ

In 2010, international partnerships began to form what is now known as the Breakaway Global Missions Network. Over the years, this expanding movement has served in 16 countries across four continents, building cross-cultural partnerships that engage youth and children through sports ministries, English teaching programs, adventure camps, and leadership development for the next generation of youth workers.

Breakaway trains and equips our international partner communities to serve and strengthen young people through sustainable, locally led initiatives that build faith, resilience, and opportunity. We place special emphasis on reaching some of the most vulnerable youth—orphans, migrants, refugees, and street-connected children—through compassionate, Christ-centered outreach thoughtfully tailored to their unique realities and needs.

One of our greatest joys is seeing young people who have been impacted by Breakaway discover their God-given potential and grow into servant-leaders. We’ve watched former juvenile inmates mature into leaders who now facilitate Bible studies inside juvenile centers. We’ve seen children affected by parental incarceration grow up to become some of our most dedicated and inspiring camp staff, serving on the front lines of ministry to the next generation. We’ve also witnessed disadvantaged youth, mentored through our local programs, receive scholarship opportunities to serve on cross-cultural mission trips overseas.

Each of these stories is a beautiful picture of Jesus breaking cycles of despair and replacing them with new cycles of restored hope.

There are two significant reasons the starfish logo represents our ministry (read more here). First, it reflects how deeply we value relationships—reaching and caring for one child at a time. Second, the starfish’s ability to multiply points to how we invest in developing youth workers beyond borders, equipping them to multiply disciple-making movements in their own communities and cultures.

We are intentional about developing next generation youth workers and multiplying disciple-making movements across the street, across the states, and across the seas.

What do Breakaway ministries look like today? That’s like asking what the weather or landscape is like in South Florida, East Tennessee, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, or East Asia. Our ministry expressions vary by culture and context, but our mission remains the same: to reach, disciple, and develop the next generation for Christ. Here’s an overview of how Breakaway is reaching and discipling the next generation at home and abroad:

Integrated Discipleship Engagements (IDEs)

Breakaway Outreach uses a ministry model of Integrated Discipleship Engagements (IDEs) to reach, disciple, and develop the next generation through Gospel-centered, relational ministry experiences that connect faith with real life. Rather than separating outreach, discipleship, and leadership development, our IDE model brings these elements together into holistic environments where young people can encounter Christ, grow in character, and discover their God-given purpose.

Here are some of the ways our IDEs disciple and develop young people:

Mentoring and Discipleship (Go MAD)

First and foremost, Breakaway is a ministry of presence. We believe transformation happens through consistent relationships, not just programs. By showing up, listening, and journeying with young people through their real-life struggles and victories, we reflect the relational love of Christ and create space for lasting change.

“Go Make A Disciple” (Go MAD) is Breakaway’s life-on-life mentoring approach, rooted in Scripture and centered on authentic relationships. Through intentional, one-on-one connections between caring adults and young people, we nurture spiritual growth, strengthen biblical foundations, and cultivate accountability. Our heart is to walk alongside youth as they learn to follow Christ faithfully, live out their faith in everyday life, and grow into Christ-centered leaders who influence others for God’s Kingdom.

Summer, Winter, and Global Camps (SWAG)

Immersive, multi-day discipleship experiences that combine sports, faith, adventure, creativity, and relational mentoring to help young people grow spiritually, socially, and emotionally—across Appalachia and around the world. Our flagship Camp Elevate ministry in East Tennessee builds faith, character, and resilience in children affected by trauma and hardship, providing a safe, hope-filled environment where healing and transformation can thrive.

Sports Ministry Clinics (SMCs)

Athletics-based outreach that uses sports to build relationships, develop character, and share the hope of the Gospel. Our SMCs have been facilitated in schools, neighborhoods, churches, community centers, juvenile institutions, and wherever the Gospel can intersect with the places young people learn, play, and grow.

English Teaching Ministries (ETMs)

Language-learning programs that create cross-cultural connections, build confidence, and open doors for Gospel conversations. Learning English equips international students with access to education and opportunity, expands their vision, and strengthens their confidence for a brighter future. At Breakaway Outreach, we see English not just as a life skill, but as a mission field for sharing Christ and making disciples who make disciples.

Youth Leadership Development (YLEADs)

Training and mentoring that equips young people to lead with integrity, service, and Christ-centered influence. Through this process, we walk alongside youth as they rise above traumatic childhood experiences and discover the joy of serving others. We disciple young people who once felt hopeless and witness them step into purpose—serving the local church, volunteering at camps, traveling on cross-cultural mission trips, and empowering others with the same hope they have received through Breakaway IDEs. We also have the privilege of developing sports coaches, youth workers, and disciple-makers in underserved and underresourced parts of the world. Together, we are building the next generation of Christ-centered, mission-driven leaders.

Life Skills Training (LSKLZ)

Practical, values-based training that equips young people with essential life tools such as math, technology, digital literacy, communication, teamwork, responsibility, emotional resilience, and healthy decision-making—rooted in biblical principles. We believe every young person deserves the tools to thrive in life. Our life skills programs take a holistic approach, developing not only practical abilities, but also confidence, character, faith, and personal enrichment for a strong future.

Juvenile Intervention Ministries (JIMs)

Restorative, Gospel-centered ministries for children of incarcerated parents, teens in the juvenile justice system, and young people at risk for delinquency—offering hope, mentoring, and pathways to lasting life change. Through chaplaincy, prevention-focused outreach, training, and practical resources, we equip youth workers to support vulnerable children and teens with Christ-centered care, guidance, and hope for a brighter future.

KidVenturez (KVs)

Adventure-based discipleship experiences that build resilience, community, and faith through meaningful encounters. KidVenturez™ is a Breakaway initiative that engages at-risk youth through adventure trips, weekend retreats, and faith-centered excursions—creating powerful opportunities for growth, connection, and mentorship. Designed to strengthen character and inspire hope, the KV program serves children navigating hardship with experiences that empower them to thrive.

Other Community Outreach Efforts (OCOEs)

Flexible outreach initiatives that respond to local needs and create additional pathways for Gospel impact—ranging from Hope Again Christmas programs and birthday blessings for disadvantaged children to feeding families in need, relief and compassion efforts, and development projects with underserved communities.

Our Heart Behind IDEs

Together, these ministry expressions form a unified strategy for helping young people not only hear the Gospel, but live it out in their everyday lives.