Susan Olson, chair of the Offender Aid and Restoration Board (OAR), says this year they put the wish list for the children of incarcerated individuals on Amazon. "We stressed the need for children over 13 which is a difficult group to fill. Last year we got about two footballs. Look at this year — they are stacked up against the wall." The annual Project Christmas Angel gift-wrapping event was held at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on Lorcom Lane on Dec. 14. OAR’s motto is “Strengthening Community Through Second Chances.”
Photo by Shirley Ruhe
Five high school students from Falls Church with their teachers eat pizza waiting for the wrapping to begin. Each of them will receive a wish list for a child and will choose from the piles of presents available at the tables. One of the students says they have come in order to get community service points. But Andre Aguirre says he reflects back on his childhood when he was younger and he wouldn't get presents: "I decided if I ever had the chance I would help other kids like me to get presents."
Photo by Shirley Ruhe
A piano player sits In the distance at the end of the row of tables heaped with 1,200 toys. He is providing atmosphere for Christmas Angel, the annual OAR gift-wrapping event. More than 200 volunteers have signed up to wrap presents from 18-month-old Desmond Roberts (he's a ferocious wrapper) to regulars who have been participating for years. The gifts will be delivered by volunteers to almost 400 children of incarcerated individuals, each gift accompanied by a message for the child written by the incarcerated parent. OAR is a “community-based restorative justice organization, blending compassion and accountability to assist offenders in leading productive and responsible lives.” It was established in 1974 by a local group of women from Arlington who volunteered in jails and saw a need for ongoing support of prisoners and ex-offenders.
