INDIANAPOLIS — Jermaine Wilson first found out about the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree Program when he was incarcerated in Leavenworth, Kansas.
The young father, who was convicted for drug possession and sentenced to three years in prison, had to leave behind his eight-month-old son. He didn’t have many opportunities to connect with his son in those pivotal years — until he heard about the Angel Tree Christmas program.
The program, run by the Prison Fellowship, allows incarcerated parents to provide a gift with a handwritten note to their children during the holiday season. It helps to build a connection between the parent and child, even when they may not be around on a daily basis.
“My son knew that dad was always providing for him,” Wilson said. “There wasn't a season that went by that his dad wasn't providing for him while I was incarcerated, and once I got released, I continued to provide for my son. My son knew that dad might have not been physically present at a time, but he was still able to be present some type of way. And now that I'm reunited with my son, I'm continuously serving my son, continuously providing for my son and I'm always finding a way to give back.”
Wright finished his three-year sentence when his son was around four years old, and, because of the programs run by Prison Fellowship, was able to maintain a relationship throughout his incarceration.
Since then, he was able to get his record expunged, restoring his voting rights and ability to run for public office, becoming a two-term mayor for his hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas. Now, he works as the Mission Ambassador for Prison Fellowship, hoping to provide the same opportunities for incarcerated parents and their children.
Along with the Angel Tree Christmas Program, the Prison Fellowship holds sports camps across the country, partnering with churches and NFL franchises.
The fellowship brought a football camp to the Indianapolis Colts facility on Saturday morning, providing kids in the Indy area with incarcerated parents the opportunity to play football and meet other kids in a similar situation.
“Our sports camps are one of those opportunities that we get to come in, bring our families in and let them see there are other kids that are in that same journey,” Betsy Wright, the senior director of the Angel Tree Prison Fellowship program. “A lot of times you can feel alone because of the stigma of incarceration. You kind of internalize that a lot, and you don't talk about it. And so, when we can bring them together, and they can find out that they're not alone, then that really kind of lifts a burden.”
Applications went up across the Indianapolis-area prisons, allowing the incarcerated parent to sign their child up for camp. Most of the programs through the Prison Fellowship are initiated by the incarcerated parent.
“It provides an opportunity for the parent to provide for their kid,” Wilson said. “They may be limited to what they can do while they're incarcerated, but they're still able to do something, and by allowing their child to participate in prison fellowship programs that we offer every day, it opens up the door for them to receive a gift. It opens up the door for them to participate in sports camps, summer camps, and this is coming from the incarcerated parent, because they are signing their child up. Now, their child is able to experience things they might not have been able to experience before. So, it's giving the child hope and also providing hope for the parent.”
It was the first time the Prison Fellowship came to Indianapolis after holding similar camps in Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago. ...
