This Christmas, Two Million Child “Victims” Will not Be Forgotten

More than 445,000 at-Risk Kids Receive Gifts from Incarcerated Parents

LANSDOWNE, Va., Dec. 10, 2007—They are the often forgotten "victims" of crime-the 2 million children in America who have an incarcerated parent. These children are not only some of the most underserved children in the country, but statistics show they are the most at risk to themselves be incarcerated (U.S. News and World Report).

But, for the 25th consecutive Christmas, churches across America will work to break this intergenerational cycle of crime starting with a simple gift. Through Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree^® program, some 445,000 at-risk children of incarcerated parents are expected to receive gifts this Christmas in the name of their imprisoned parent.

WHY and HOW it Works
Studies show that prisoners' children are the most at-risk youth in America-five to seven times more likely to end up in prison, according to a 2002 U.S. News & World Report. Gifts delivered by church volunteers in the name of the imprisoned parent help bring reconciliation and encouragement to families split by incarceration. 

Angel Tree may begin with a gift at Christmas, but it is much more than a Christmas project. The program connects children of prisoners with members of a local church, providing opportunities to participate in a variety of activities throughout the year, including camping and mentoring. 

"Angel Tree has made such a difference in the lives of the nation's most at-risk youth," said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship and former Virginia attorney general. "Churches across the nation are taking in these broken families and forming ongoing relationships with them. They realize that the need to be loved doesn't end with the Christmas season."

Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree program represents the only nationwide, year-round effort that reaches out exclusively to children whose parent is behind bars. Since the program's inception in 1982, more than 7.5 million children of prisoners have received some 15 million Angel Tree gifts nationwide.