MANSFIELD, Ohio – Richland Correctional Institution (RiCI) employees held their annual “Adopt a Family” event on Monday, Dec. 22. The program was an opportunity to brighten the Christmas of a Mansfield grandmother and her three grandsons.
Thea Parker, grandmother and guardian to Jaylen and Joseph Stanford, ages 11 and 13 respectively, and Mario Carter, age 17, was moved to tears by the generosity of the RiCI employees. When asked what the event meant to her, she tearfully replied, “That they’re going to have a Christmas.”
“These two little boys have gone through a lot,” she said, referring to Jaylen and Joseph. “When their parents died, they didn’t have anything. They lost everything: their home, their clothes, their beds, everything.”
The boys’ mother died in a tragic automobile accident, said Parker, and their father was taken by cancer, both just last year.
Each year, Catalyst Life Services selects the family for the RiCI “Adopt a Family” program. Parker was very grateful to the center for its service to her family.
“The counselors have been so good to us,” she said. “They’ve got grief counselors and they’re the ones that put our names in for this.”
“The ‘Adopt a Family’ program has been going on at Richland for several years now,” noted RiCI Correctional Warden’s Assistant Jennifer Gillece. “We, as employees, sponsor a family here in Mansfield.”
RiCI Administrative Professional Angie Rose said a tree for each member of the chosen family is erected in the facility’s roll call room. Catalyst supplies the employees with a list of the family’s needs, which are written on tags on the tree. Employees may select an item to purchase.
“On top of the staff doing that, our union makes a big donation,” said Rose. She added that the donation is used to purchase the remaining items.
Parker was amazed to discover an entire table of gifts intended for her, as well as a table for each of the three boys. She asked the boys to each save two gifts for Christmas morning, but, like most children, they could not wait and unwrapped them all.
“They were so excited to get to come today. They’ve been anxious, just pins and needles, waiting to get out here,” Parker said.
Mario, a student at Mansfield Senior High, was thrilled with a soccer ball he received, as well as the many other gifts, including a sleeping bag, boots, and the many toiletries necessary to most teenage boys.
Joseph noted his favorite gift was a remote control helicopter and the game “Call of Duty.” He also received toiletries, socks, boots, a sleeping bag, and art supplies, among other gifts. Parker noted that Joseph has a great interest in art and loves to draw.
Jaylen received a remote control truck, which he said was his favorite gift among the many piled on the table.
Parker, unwrapping baking utensils, said that Jaylen loves to cook and would help her put the gifts to good use. She also received toiletries, cleaning supplies, and dog food for the boys’ dogs.
On hand from Catalyst were therapist Aloys Kamwithi and case manager Depree Taylor. Kamwithi said he nominated the family because the grandmother showed such amazing maternal love toward the boys. “It’s a like a good mom being recognized for what she is doing by the community,” he said.
Kamwithi said he was moved by the amount of effort put into the event, noting the many hours of planning, shopping and wrapping involved. “It makes you proud to be human,” he said.
