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 the amazing connection WSP creates between incarcerated mothers and their children.  I could not commit to being a prison or office volunteer, but I could be an advocate for Storybook Project. I shared my enthusiasm for WSP at my book clubs and at my church. In 2022, I invited Jill Gonzalez to speak at my church’s Women’s Inspiration Day.

One of our church members and a friend she brought to the program became prison volunteers. Hope Presbyterian’s Outreach Commission now supports WSP, and WSP has received several project grants from Hope’s Generation to Generation Fund. I’ve used my networking skills to get Jill invited as the guest speaker for two community organizations and to have WSP represented at a regional quarterly meeting of Presbyterian churches. Be on the lookout for community connections. That person next to you in water aerobics just might be on the program committee for some organization! Meeting Judith Duling and WSP’s dedicated volunteers and staff have led be to become a Reader’s Circle Literary Partner.

Remember: It only takes a spark to get a fire going.