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Giving thanks across denominations
Purpose of Michael Allen Harris
concert twofold
Pastoral Pondering: Praise God for
life, love
and sharing those gifts with others
Kids
get presents
even though a parent
is behind bars |
The Angel Tree program is providing gifts to children
whose mother or father are incarcerated |
By Schellene Clendenin, Newberg
Graphic reporter
E-mail Schellene at sclendenin@eaglenewspapers.com
|
Christmas is a time of family get-togethers and watching children open
their presents under the tree.
But some parents can’t be with their children at Christmas, or to
present them with gifts, because they are serving time in prison.
The Angel Tree program is a nationally-run branch of the Chuck Colson Prison
Fellowship that provides gifts to children whose mother or father are incarcerated during
the holidays.
Sandy Fortmeyer, Angel Tree coordinator for Newberg Christian Church, has
been working with the fellowship for the last five years. The program provides gifts as
requested by the person in jail to children ages infant to 18.
Each child on the program is provided with one piece of clothing valued at as
much as $20 and a new and unused toy costing no more than $20.
“It sounded like something I would be interested in because I love
Christmas and I love kids,” Fortmeyer said. “We respond to requests from parents
who will request that a gift be given to their children.”
Parents provide Fortmeyer with information so she can contact caregivers and
ask for the size of clothing needed for the child. All children helped by the church are
in Newberg, so it makes the gift-giving more personal.
The service has a two-part benefit, she said. The program gives prisoners
peace of mind that he or she has been able to care for a member of the family even though
incarcerated, and lets family know the parent remembers.
“It’s a ministry to prisoners and families to witness God’s
love of people in every situation and an opportunity to share the gospel to prisoners and
families and enjoy the true spirit of Christmas,” she said. “Sometimes teenagers
are the ones most touched by the gifts.”
The program is fun for the families in the church that get involved, she
said. A lot of people like to buy gifts for children who are the same age as their own.
Gifts are dropped off at the homes of the children’s families a week before
Christmas.
What is most difficult is when there is more than one child in the family, as
well as teenagers, who can be difficult to shop for. Each child receives at least two
gifts and are sponsored by different family in the church.
Fortmeyer said the congregation is more than generous and often there are
more volunteers than children. She added she would like to expand the project to include
more than the 15 children who will be served in this area. but the group would need a
second coordinator to grow.
Once the gifts are delivered to the children, cards are sent to prisoners to
assure them their children received a present.
More than 180 children were served by the program in the McMinnville area in
2001, according to Larry Perin, co-coordinator for the Angel Tree program in Oregon,
Idaho, Montana and Southwest Washington.
The program is no longer accepting applications for inmates in state and
county jails, he said, only state and federal prisons.
The program is in its 20th year and now provides camping trips and mentoring
programs for children with incarcerated parents, as well. |
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From Nov. 15,
2003, Newberg Graphic
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