The Walls to Bridges Project
Books for System-Impacted Children
Visiting rooms in California prisons have been sitting empty for most of the pandemic.
The already strained relationships between incarcerated men and their children and other family members continue to be impacted by communication barriers. Children that once lost a parent, grandparent, brother, etc. are facing yet another loss as they are unable to see their loved one. The lack of visiting and re-traumatization caused by the increasing separation can be unbearable.
About
Our book project mails children a book “from” their incarcerated family members. Our team created this new project to mitigate some of the consequences posed to family connection by COVID-19.
What We Do & How We Do It
Our team will mail a book to a child “from” their incarcerated loved one with permission of the guardian. The incarcerated persons can either send a letter to our office with the contact information of the guardian of the child or give the guardian our contact information to initiate. They are a core part of this process, serving as a “middle person” between the guardians and us. This is an opportunity for them to participate in the lives of their family and stay connected.
Once we have the relevant information (the age, reading level, gender and address), our team finds an age-appropriate and reading-level-appropriate book to send. The books themselves are high quality, like-new book donations we collect from individuals, schools and libraries.
Who We Serve
All incarcerated persons from any California prison or jail can participate in our program. The child does not need to live in California.
There is no cost to the family and no limit per family, which is why we are continuously seeking monetary donations for postage.
Our Impact
Our team sees this as an opportunity to help children still feel loved and connected to their incarcerated loved ones. Additionally, we see this as an educational effort to improve access to books and learning materials for this vulnerable population already suffering steep educational setbacks due to COVID-19.
Thank you to our community partners for their generous donations and support.
