A smile graced Tonya Fortner’s face as her son Atlas marveled at the bag of toys he’d just received.
The pair recently moved to Jackson after Fortner gained custody of her son, whose father is incarcerated. “I’m from the coast, but I had to come here to change my life,” she told the Mississippi Free Press on Dec. 22.
That morning, Fortner joined several other parents and caregivers lined up outside the New Hope Baptist Church on Watkins Drive in Jackson for the RECH Foundation’s 38th annual Christmas toy drive for children with incarcerated parents.
Organizers didn’t open the doors for the eager caregivers and children until 1 p.m. A plethora of gifts—board games, stuffed animals, bikes, blankets, pillows and more—awaited them.
Once inside, Fortner trailed closely behind Atlas, who grabbed his first bag of goodies from Keilani Vanish, one of the more than 100 volunteers who helped set up and hand off gifts that day. Gift bag in hand, he took a few steps toward his mother before turning back to face the volunteer.
“He wants to give you a hug,” Fortner told Vanish, who then kneeled down to embrace him.
‘The Ministry of One’
Pauline Rogers and her husband Frederick intimately know the effects that incarceration can have on families and the challenges that arise as a person attempts to piece their life together after leaving prison.
Both were formerly incarcerated.
Pauline Rogers walked out of prison in 1987 after serving more than half of a six-year sentence for shoplifting. Later that same year, once outside of prison walls, she and her husband married and co-founded the RECH Foundation.
The couple has made it their mission to support other incarcerated individuals and their families.
Throughout the year, the RECH Foundation provides transitional housing for individuals newly out of prison at the Wendy Hatcher S.A.F.E. Home in Jackson and hosts re-entry programs to help the formerly incarcerated readjust to life outside of prison.
On Dec. 22, Rogers talked about why, for more than 30 years, they have led an effort to provide Christmas gifts to children who have at least one incarcerated parent.
“We’re losing that family component, the village. We are a village to these children. I’m just a hand extended to those who are incarcerated,” she told the Mississippi Free Press.
Organizers also allowed the parents and caregivers to pick out a gift for themselves as well, a gesture to keep caregivers encouraged, she explained.
While partnerships with other entities like New Hope make the event possible every year, Rogers said that individuals, too, play a key role in preserving the organization’s mission.
“I had a formerly incarcerated woman walk in here yesterday and put a check in my hand: $300. (It was) a woman from Rankin County who doesn’t look like me,” she said.
“People want to do something,” Rogers continued. “Every one of these bags you see started with one (person). It’s the ministry of one. Never forget the ministry of one.”
‘See These Kids And These Families’
As the Christmas holiday passes and a new year begins, the RECH Foundation looks forward to preparing for its annual Valentines Day care packages—which in the past have included items like gift cards for spa treatments or cosmetics for the parents and caregivers.
With every event the organization hosts, Pauline Rogers said she hopes to empower families and deepen public awareness of what remains in a community when an individual is incarcerated.
“It’s important for me that people see these kids and these families,” she said. “These kids look just like yours, but their needs are different.”
Donate to the Reaching & Educating for Community Hope (RECH) Foundation via PayPal (rechfoundation@gmail.com) or at donorbox.org.