PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG: Angel Tree

I don’t know why I said it” but a promise is a promise. Lueida had no idea what she was getting into when she decided to move beyond the Christmas reach.

Angel Tree volunteer Nedra has 21 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren—but there’s always enough love for more.

Peyton struggled to speak to her dad after went to prison. But the night she returned from camp, she surprised him with a phone call he will never forget.

Seventy percent of prisoners’ children have caregivers who are over the age of 50. Many of these caregivers are grandparents. This Grandparents Day, we want to honor those family members who care for youth while their moms and dads are away.

At camp, Joseph can set his worries aside and be free to just be a kid. Every day at camp is a new adventure for this child and so many other campers. And after this summer, he will have plenty to share in his next letter to his dad in prison.

Every year, thousands of prisoners’ kids attend summer camps through Angel Tree Camping. Angel is one of those kids, and for her, camp has been a refuge.

After Shay’s first year at camp, she couldn’t wait to tell her mom the stories of fun and fellowship. The best part wasn’t horseback riding or laser tag—it was meeting people who shared her challenges and reminded her she wasn’t alone.

  For the last three years, Green Bay Packers player Kenny Clark has held a special Angel Tree Sports Clinic for children of prisoners. For one day, 300 kids played alongside NFL football stars, learning valuable lessons in sports and in life.

Every December, Angel Tree Volunteers deliver Christmas gifts to children on behalf of their incarcerated parents. You never really know who is going to answer when you knock on a stranger’s door, but Angel Tree volunteers know to just roll with it and let God lead.

Vaughan was in junior high when he discovered a family secret that would change his life. Vaughan faced an uncertain future, but Angel Tree Camping stepped in on time. He experienced God’s love in the great outdoors—and found a path to a bright, hopeful future.