This project has been in the works for more than forty years.At least in God's eyes.
The Gary Project did not begin with a strategy document. It began with a friendship formed in the 1970s, a letter written to a Florida prison over twenty years ago, and a Zoom Bible study group that brought old friends back together decades later.
How this actually started.
A common thread began with relationships formed in the 1970s at Seattle Pacific University. During that time, a friendship developed between George Todd and Gordy and Cat Wollen. As often happens in life, the years after college passed with little communication between them.
The Lord had a plan.
George and Gordy eventually reconnected through a Zoom Bible study group started by a mutual friend. During that study, George was introduced to a situation that had unfolded in Gordy and Cat's lives. Over twenty years ago, through a series of unexpected circumstances, Cat had begun writing to an inmate in Florida named Gary Farrington. Over time, that correspondence grew into a deep and meaningful relationship — so much so that Gary now refers to Cat as his mom and Gordy as his dad.
At one point, during the Bible study, Gordy asked the group to pray for their son in prison. That request led George to learn more about Gary, and about the Wollens' relationship with him.
From there, one thing led to another. Conversations began about clemency and what that might mean for Gary's future. George felt a clear calling to become more involved — both spiritually and financially. George's daughter, Natalie, who has a deep love for the Lord and a remarkable gift for technology and marketing, has played a key role in shaping what The Gary Project has become today.
Without question, this is one of the most meaningful and important things any of us have ever been part of. — An adventure the Lord set in motion long before Gary's incarceration, and long before any of us would have imagined we would be part of it.
