"Rain, rain, rain," remembers Kelsey. "It was all I heard."
When Hurricane Harvey hit the Houston area at the end of the summer, sisters Kelsey and Kennice were forced to wait out the storm with their godmother.
"I thought it was going to rain for 40 days and 40 nights, like Noah's Ark," Kelsey says. "I would have [felt] safer if my dad was there to encourage us through the hurricane.”
Instead, the girls' father—who has struggled for years with addiction—is incarcerated.
'THE WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE'
"This was the worst year of my life," Kennice exclaims. "My dad is in jail, again. Hurricane Harvey hit." She shakes her head and then says, "This Christmas will not be the same."
The holidays are already hard on prisoners' children, but for the 20,000 kids in the hurricane-affected areas, life was turned upside down by the storm.
THE MISSION OF ANGEL TREE
Thanks to the people who support Angel Tree®, kids like Kelsey and Kennice will still be able to celebrate Christmas this year.
That's because Angel Tree, a Prison Fellowship® program, has mobilized local churches and organizations to minister to hundreds of thousands of children. These volunteers deliver a gift, the Gospel message, and a personal message of love on behalf of the child's mom or dad behind bars.
"Christmas is my favorite holiday because I get something from my dad," Kelsey says. The program has even brought her and her father closer. "He loves me, and I love my dad," she continues. "I've learned from Angel Tree that material things can be replaced, but my dad can't."
"I want to say thank you to Angel donors," shares Kennice, "because during the Christmas time, during school time—or whenever it's going to be school time—y'all help me get some school supplies and get us food in our house during Christmas time ... When I see those presents from Angel Tree, from my dad, I feel happy."
TEXAS' HURRICANE HARVEY STATISTICS
- More than 185,000 homes were damaged or destroyed
- More than 42,000 people took refuge in emergency shelters
- More than 10,000 people were rescued by federal emergency workers
- At least 82 people died
THANK YOU, ANGEL TREE!
On behalf of kids like Kelsey and Kennice and their parents behind bars, thank you for supporting Angel Tree.
If you would like to support Angel Tree, please visit angeltree.org for more details on how you can volunteer your time or make a financial donation.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE
ANGEL TREE CAMP CHANGES KENNICE’S LIFE
Read more about how the Angel Tree program has positively influenced Kennice.
GROWING UP IN A PRISON VISITING ROOM
"He grabbed my hand and said, 'I'm going to leave for a long time and you have to take care of your mom and your sister.'"
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