Take a minute to read this and journey with me to a place where approximately 1.8 million Americans are daily. My Baby boy was just 29 days old when I was separated from him. I spent 1,371 days; 32,904 hours; 1,974,240 minutes away from him. All of this time and I still was not properly prepared to be his mother. The self-doubt crept in as I sat in my cell “Will he remember me?” “Will he love me?” “Am I good enough to be his Mom?” The only thing I truly wanted was a bond with my son and incarceration was keeping me from having just that.
My name is Janese Boston once known as 55973 property of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation for 4 years. 4 years that I left my newborn son with a family member to raise. During my incarceration I participated in programs designed to change my thinking errors, help me to become a better parent, and reenter society. While sitting in these programs I often thought about how once released I wanted to pour into the community that poured so much into me. This toy drive derived from that thought. This drive is not just about giving children toys; it is a drive that aims to create and maintain bonds between incarcerated parents, their children, and their care givers.
According to Rutgers University 2.7 million children in the US have an incarcerated parent, that’s 1 in 28 children. For African Americans that number is 1 in 9, Hispanics 1 in 28, and white children 1 in 57 . Parental incarceration is listed as an adverse childhood experience based on the trauma, shame, and stigmas associated with it. These numbers are staggering, and I know firsthand that children are the forgotten element of incarceration.
The parents that we will support this year are currently incarcerated in the Franklin County Correctional Centers I & II. We will supply gifts to their children in an effort to build stronger bonds and strengthen their relationships. Participants will be selected based upon their participation in programming. They will each write a letter to their children to accompany their gifts. Will you help us by selecting a gift from the Amazon wish list or even donating to our Go Fund Me? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Best,
Janese Boston
AKA Living Proof Chef