WARREN — Members of Free Indeed Prison Ministries came together over the weekend to provide a special holiday celebration for children of the Mahoning Valley whose parents are incarcerated and will not be home for Christmas.

The group, which included 15 families from Trumbull and Mahoning counties, gathered at First Presbyterian Church in Warren for a dinner and then a visit from Santa Claus, who provided gifts.

“For the past 10 years, we have held an annual Christmas party for the children of incarcerated parents. Often, they are being cared for by grandparents or other family members who may need a little help at the holidays,” said Martha Conyer Allen, president of Free Indeed Prison Ministries.

The organization was started 23 years ago. Conyer Allen said visiting those parents in prison and remembering the children of incarcerated parents is important.

“We have children who may have one parent incarcerated, or it may be both. We want to help them at Christmas, so we give out gift cards to local stores and businesses,” Conyer Allen said.

She said because some of the parents are in prisons three or four hours away, the children are not able to see them, and many of the parents “do not want the children to see them in that situation.”

Conyer Allen and Walter Allen, founder / CEO of Free Indeed Prison Ministries, said when they go to the prison and speak to the incarcerated men and women, they ask them about their children and how they can assist them, especially during the holiday season.

Conyer Allen said the prisoners trust her and Allen and provide the names of contacts of their caregivers who they reach out to and invite to the Christmas party.

“We reach out to the caregivers and tell them what we do and how we want to help them. They appreciate being invited to the party,” Conyer Allen said.

She said it is important to provide different options for the children so “we can break the cycle of incarceration.”

“We want to break that cycle. Studies show that 75% of the children who have a mom or dad in prison will follow in the footsteps of their parents. By reaching out to children, we can provide options that will help change their lives — literally,” Conyer Allen said.

The group visits prisoners at the Trumbull Correctional Institution in Leavittsburg, the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown, and other prisons outside the local area.

Conyer Allen said gift cards and holiday cards also have been sent to children and their caregivers in the Toledo area.

“As people of faith, we know the children because they are often young and miss their parents. Holding events for them like this is a step toward letting them know they are loved unconditionally. We show we are there for them,” Allen said.

He said he hopes that events like this will be something they can remember for the rest of their lives.

“We want to show them there are adults who care about them and want to be with them at the holidays,” Allen said.”The adults who help by volunteering tell me they enjoy seeing the smiles on the children’s faces.”

Santa Claus announced the names of families who received gift certificates and different children who approached him were handed a card.

FAMILIES HELPED

Nicole Thomas of Warren, along with her husband, Welton, are raising their four grandchildren, ages 9 to 13. She said they have custody of the children.

“We rely on the local churches who help us with the kids. The churches have been wonderful helping us as the children also learn about God,” Nicole Thomas said.

She said the children’s father is in prison and their mother does not have anything to do with them.

“We take the children to church and make sure they know about God. I appreciate what they have done for us. The donations mean so much,” Thomas said.

Keilan Thomas, 11, and Aaliyah Thomas, 9, of Warren, lined up to meet with Santa Claus as a group of children had their photos taken with him.

Tom William of Youngstown said he was released from prison in October after being there for 25 years.

“I thanked Free Indeed when they came to the prison to speak to me. I benefitted from their help when I was released from prison,” he said.

William said the Allens and others have helped him by providing counseling.

“It is a great thing they do with their prison outreach. They provide spiritual growth to help us move forward with our lives,” William said.

Conyer Allen said the nonprofit organization works to transform the lives of former inmates to help make their return to society a smoother process. The effort started with Bible studies at correctional institutions and then programs to help prisoners reenter society and the outside world.