OK Messages Project reconnects children with their incarcerated parents during the Christmas season

MCLOUD — There is an important message being delivered from inside Oklahoma prisons as incarcerated parents are being reconnected with their children through reading.

“It just means the world to the kids,” OK Messages Project founder Cheri Fuller said. “I’ve been in their homes and seen their little faces light up. This is the first time they’ve seen mom. I’ve seen them kiss the screen. It feels me with joy because this is something positive we are doing for the children.”

The OK Messages Project started in 2011. Volunteers come into prison with a camera and encouraging word.

“You can be yourself,” said volunteer Ali Plum. “This is their living room time with them. We just disappear into the background and this is their family space.”

Said volunteer Julia Cox, “I enjoy it. I’ve been doing it since the very beginning. It brings me all sorts of joy.”

The incarcerated individuals select a book, write a personal message, and are then recorded reading to their children.

"It’s good for my kids,” one incarcerated woman told us. “My youngest replays it all the time because we pray together on here. This is a good thing.”

The OK Messages Project will go into about a dozen men’s and women’s prisons this holiday season to record hundreds of messages just like these. 

“This ministry improves children’s self-esteem and reading skills, and restores broken relationships,” Fuller said.

The books and DVDs will be delivered, free of charge, just in time for Christmas.

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 Note: A broadcast-ready version of this story and photos are available upon request.

Media Contact:

Josh Ward, Public Information Manager
josh.ward@doc.ok.gov
Cell: (405) 435-9173