That question may never cross your mind unless you have a family member paying their debt to society away from their families during Christmas. But for the children of these parents, many who are single parents, the reality means separation and possibly little to no gifts at Christmas.
A local ministry works through the generosity of its supporters to bring the joy of Christmas and gifts to children of incarcerated parents in a special way. Each child receives gifts with the names of their own parent listed as the giver to ensure that they are remembered and not abandoned during this time of absence.
Transform Ministries works through their annual Christmas Angel project to collect donations and gifts that are wrapped and presented to children who come to the Abba’s House campus in Hixson where the nonprofit operates for an afternoon of fun and surprises. A party is hosted for children who have one or both parents incarcerated to assist guardians of the children during this separation.
This year, 181 families were served with gifts assembled and assigned to each child that are made possible by the kindness of others along with the terrific volunteers who assisted with the Saturday afternoon program.
The Christmas Angel party included a live Nativity Scene which taught of Jesus’ birth with live animals that would’ve accompanied the Christ Child at the manager, refreshments, and a celebration of community that demonstrates to the children that they are not alone.
Joe Smith, Executive Director of Transform Ministries, spoke with thanks, “We are grateful to all our donors, shoppers, and volunteers who served almost 200 families and became Christmas Angels for others in need. There’s no greater joy than to see the surprise of these children opening gifts from their own parents.”
Each wrapped gift is tagged with the child’s name with a message from their incarcerated parent. “Helping parents in prison provide gifts for their children is one of the most special things we can do for both them and their children,” noted Chandler Ouzts, Operations Director of Transform Ministries. “Several kids exclaimed, ‘Mom or Dad got this for me?!’ Those moments bring the joy of Christ at Christmas.”
Transform Ministries is a multifaceted nonprofit which serves the incarcerated weekly through Transform Prison, mentorship and life-experience approach in the local schools that reveal the consequences of bad decisions through Transform Prevention, and two student programs. Transform InZone is a daily afterschool and summer camp program requiring parental involvement, tutoring, and mentorships for young boys aged 10-14 at risk for failure and destructive behavior. Transform Jabbin’ for Jesus is the second student program which engages young men in the discipline, training, and coaching of amateur boxing. The program has produced three “Silver Gloves State Champions” this year.
Christmas Angels transformed the lives of children and their parents without regard to their station or location in life. It was truly a Merry Christmas for all. For more information about Transform Ministries, visit TransformMinistries.org.