OK Messages Project Brings Hope To Children Of Incarcerated Parents

Imagine waking up Christmas morning without your mom or dad. 

That's the reality for 15 percent of Oklahoma children who have a parent in prison during their childhood. Some gifts don’t exist under a tree.   

“We want to get together with our families,” Cheri Fuller, the founder of the Oklahoma Messages Project, said. “We do.”  

On Christmas morning, thousands of children will be reminded of what’s missing.

“It broke my heart,” Fuller said.  

Children whose parents will celebrate Christmas behind bars.   

“They were called the silent victims of incarceration,” Fuller said. 

Fuller understands the pain inside these children’s hearts.   

"Yeah I am passionate about it,” Fuller said. “I know what it’s like to lose a parent.”  

Fuller lost her father when she was 11 years old.   

“You never forget it, that's one thing,” Fuller said. 

So, Fuller started this project to help.  

“Every single one of those kids matters,” Fuller said. 

The Oklahoma Messages Project focuses on keeping the relationship between children and parents alive. 

Volunteer teams go into prisons to capture incarcerated parents reading a book and sharing a personal message with their child. 

“They’re so proud of getting to do this,” Fuller said. 

Assistant program director Ali Plum sees children craving their parent’s presence.   

“Hope is big,” Plum said. “A child never stops loving their parent.”  

The project records that gift for children through reading. While parents, like Lori Jobe, reflect on their time served. 

“My youngest replays it all the time,” Jobe said. 

 The impact of these words is reflected in the testimony of the children. Children like Zay Lynn.

“It feels like I’m actually in person with her,” Zay Lynn said. 

“They’ve been impacted, and so they want to impact others,” Plum said. “That to me is hope.”  

Some of the most meaningful gifts are not about what’s inside the package. It’s the message inside.   

“It seems to help families reconnect when they were shattered,” Fuller said. 

To learn more about the OK Messages Project, click here.