'Read to Me'
SLIPPERY ROCK — Parents who go to prison are not the only ones serving a sentence. Their children have to cope with the stigma, separation and lack of a personal connection with their parents.
A program at Slippery Rock University, “Read to Me,” hopes to change that equation by uniting children with their jailed parent through video and the power of literacy and storytelling.
Heather Rice, associate professor of political science, grew up in a family with a father who was in and out of prison multiple times, so she can empathize with the children. Rice and fellow faculty member, Alice Del Vecchio, assistant professor of interdisciplinary programs, created “Read to Me” in 2014.
Rice and Del Vecchio first take SRU students into the Butler County Prison to meet with inmates who qualified for the initiative through the prison's screening process. Then the inmates select a children's book from an approved collection. The SRU students film them reading the book and then send the DVD to the inmate's family with a signed note from the parent to the child.
“It's really moving because the inmates will sometimes ad lib and talk directly to their kids,” said Rice, recalling one inmate reading the Dr. Seuss book, “Oh, The Places You'll Go!”
“Almost every page, he would call his child by name and there's one part that talks about going off the path and he turned to the camera and said, 'Just like daddy; daddy's off the path right now, but I'm getting back. If you ever go off the path, you'll get back, too.' It was really powerful,” Rice said.
Each semester, more than 25 SRU students participate in the program in some way, whether it's organizing a book drive, raising money or processing the video, but only a few go into the prison.
Adia Achtzehn, a sophomore early childhood-special education major from Pittsburgh, joined Rice for a visit to the Butler prison last spring after taking an interest in how to help children caught in this development, even though it is through video communication.
“I care a lot about child development and I know having a relationship with a parent is so important,” said Achtzehn, who had to go through a day of training and background checks before participating. “They might not understand where their parent is or why they are there, but we're helping fill that gap. That's the best part of it for me.”
Each semester since spring 2015, SRU's “Read to Me” program has visited the Butler County Prison at least once, each time working with 15 to 20 inmates and their families.
However, twice as many new books are needed because some inmates have multiple children and having a variety of selections to choose from increases the likelihood of a book striking a chord with an inmate.
- Monetary donations to the “Read to Me” program can be made through the SRU Foundation. In addition, people can purchase a children's book through an Amazon wish list and the book will be shipped directly to the organizers. Used books cannot be accepted.- More volunteers are also getting involved. This semester, Kerry Edwards, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice, is joining the program with students from the Criminology Club at SRU. There are also plans to expand the program through a similar method to connect nursing home residents with their grandchildren or great-grandchildren who may not live near them.For more information regarding fundraising efforts, including student organizations interested in hosting a book drive, contact Alice Del Vecchio at 724-738-2414 or send email to alice.delvecchio@sru.edu. Students interested in volunteering can also contact Heather Rice at 724-738-4216 or heather.rice@sru.edu.
