PRISON FELLOWSHIP: Angel Tree Camping

Prison Fellowship sat down with Jeremy and Traci to talk about serving prisoners’ families through summer camp and year-round ministry.

Camp was a refreshing change from many of Mike’s past experiences. It was a chance to get away from life’s challenges and experience God’s love.

For many children with an incarcerated parent, a week at summer camp is a dream out of reach. Angel Tree® camping offers scholarships to make the impossible a reality. But not every kid sees camp as a dream come true.

Zackarie didn’t want to go to camp at first, but he’s so glad he did. More than a decade later, he remembers his weeks at camp as some of the best—and most transformative—of his life.

Before she ever saw the lush beauty of an Oregon campground, Lucy had seen things no child should experience. Angel Tree Camping showed her she wasn’t alone. Her mom says, “She walked out of there a totally different person.”

  Through Christmas presents and loving volunteers and churches, Angel Tree takes what begins as a tragedy for many families—the incarceration of their loved one—and turns it into a blessing.

Freelance photographer Erica Daniels’ father was incarcerated when she was a young girl. Years later, she found herself snapping photos of kids with a similar story and reflecting on her past. “I love seeing kids have fun. They're just free here.”

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.

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.

Right now, thousands of youth across America are packing their bags for childhood’s most basic rite of summer—a week away at camp. What is Angel Tree Camping®, and how is it helping at-risk children embrace hope-filled futures?

What’s the impact of one week away at summer camp? Just ask Nina. She shares how Angel Tree Camping molded her from a timid young girl into the strong leader she is today.

  Thank you for your generous support of Angel Tree. This Christmas, more than 290,000 children with incarcerated parents were blessed.

Angel Tree may start with a Christmas gift, but the families of prisoners have year-round needs, too. Find out how your church can meet the needs of Angel Tree families all year long.