Louise Fry “I love being a part of WSP. I’m touched every time I go to the prisons and work with the moms. Being a former teacher of kids that had parents that were incarcerated, I know how much they missed their moms. One of the moms at Halbert told us that she never read to her kids before until WSP. She was in...
Library of Congress Meeting
Library of Congress holds Regional Meetings for Literacy Award Winners! It was my great pleasure to attend the Library of Congress Book Award Winners regional meeting in Baton Rouge, LA last month. Through the generosity of the Kislak Family Foundation, the gathering brought former Literacy Award winners and honorees at the State Library of Louisiana for a one-day gathering. The purpose of...
Meet and Greet in Dallas: A Successful Start to Our Collin County Jail Sessions
We recently held a new volunteer meet and greet in Dallas, in anticipation of our upcoming visits to the Collin County Jail in McKinney. The event was a wonderful opportunity to connect with prospective volunteers and spread the word about our mission. A big thank you to Mary Anne and Larry Harmon for graciously hosting this special event. Their hospitality created...
Team Leader Spotlight – Felicia Kutchey
Team Leader – Lane Murray I learned of Women’s Storybook Project back at the beginning in 2003 when our founder and former Executive Director, Judith Dullnig at the time came to speak at my temple, Temple Beth Shalom. It really got me interested in being a volunteer after hearing how mothers would be connecting to their children by recording a...
Friendships at WSP: Lyrica Johnson and Sun Connor
It all began with volunteering. Lyrica was the Newsletter Chair, and we bonded over Adobe Creative Suite – creating quarterly newsletters and annual reports. Our work meetings soon became casual hangouts, and eventually, family gatherings with our kids. At WSP, we connect incarcerated mothers with their children and unite volunteers. Volunteering with us isn’t just about visiting prisons and recording...
Volunteer Spotlight: Emily Hobbie
I first heard about Storybook Project and its mission in 2019 from a public service announcement on KUT. This was a spark moment. The lyric of one of my favorite hymns states, It only takes a spark, to get a fire going.” Strongly embracing that concept, I learned more about WSP, made a small donation, and began telling others about...
Volunteer Spotlight: Robyn Cooper
In the spring of 2020, I saw an interview on TV that involved our executive director, Jill Gonzalez, regarding the Women’s Storybook Project. I was inspired by their mission to connect incarcerated moms with their children through the joy of literature. I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of this group. Having been a reading specialist,...
Volunteer Spotlight: Kelly Treybig
Kelly Jacobson Treybig How you first got involved with WSP(and when) I discovered WSP through the Austin Junior Forum, an organization that collaborates with nonprofits supporting a wide range of individuals, including women, children, and the elderly, in the Austin area. What is your position or connection with WSP? Since becoming a WSP volunteer, I have had the opportunity to...
BAMBI Update
BAMBI UPDATE By: Tiel Rainelli, WSP Programs Coordinator BAMBI (Babies and Mothers Bonding Initiative), a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) program housed at the Santa Maria Hostel in Houston, offers women who are pregnant in prison the rare experience to be with their child for 12 to 24 months (during their incarceration), fostering a strong, early bond during a...
Barnes and Noble Book Drive 2024 By: Desirae Landrum
My Experience Volunteering at this Year’s Barnes and Noble Holiday Book Drive By: Desirae Landrum Mission Women’s Storybook Project prison program helps incarcerated mothers maintain contact with and bring comfort to their children. We help these mothers record stories and messages of love for their children and then mail the recordings along with the books so the children can hear...