By Charles G. Anderson Sr.
Abilene Reporter-News
TAYLOR COUNTY, Texas — Taylor County Jail Chaplain Ken Crow and a group from various Abilene churches are making a special e’ort to ensure children of Taylor County inmates have presents at Christmastime.
Crow said the e’ort has been made for about six years. It is patterned it after the Snow Angel program used in prisons.
“We will probably have close to 300 children receiving gifts,” said Crow, also a minister at Oakridge Church of Christ.
After handing out applications to jail inmates in November, Crow said a list of children to participate was compiled.
“The Snow Angels will meet together soon and have a gift wrapping party to have the presents ready for the children,” Crow said, adding
participants from local churches could buy a gift for a child or do more if they elected to do so.
Bill Collier and his wife, Judy, have been involved in the jail ministry through the Westgate Church of Christ for six years.
Each child receives three gifts with a limit of $25 for each gift, Collier said, noting it is recommended that clothing, a toy and something religious be included among the trio of items.
“The religious gift could be a necklace with a cross or a Bible or something like that,” Collier said.
Carolyn Atkins, who attends Oldham Lane Church of Christ, said church participants get small angels - pink for girls and blue for boys - that has the age, sizes and wish list for each child. Atkins said the child or family isn’t identified except for a code kept by program coordinators.
“We have already bought the presents and delivered them to the Oakridge Church,” Atkins said, pointing out she bought some boots and jeans for a 15-year-old girl.
The parents, Atkins said, seem to “appreciate the help given to their children.”
“We have no way of knowing for sure how many people give,” Crow said.
According to Crow, gifts are distributed from Oakridge Church of Christ and that families are notified when it is time for gifts to be picked up for children. Sgt. John Cummins of the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office said he and his wife, Joyce, decided to help out this year after seeing the good work being done by the Snow Angels.
“I told Ken Crow that we wanted to sponsor seven children,” he said. “We were given a code and some information about the children.” Cummins said he doesn’t have day-to-day contact with the inmates, but that he knows the parents were interested in their children. “Every kid deserves to have a good Christmas,” Cummins said.
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