cember
09-20-2003, 08:46 PM
Judi Villa
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 20, 2003 12:00 AM
"Once upon a time the last day of a golden summer," the book starts.
Bianca Egurrola wipes the tears from her eyes and reads the words from Pooh's Grand Adventure into a microphone. Egurrola can picture the "big ole smile" on her nephew's face when the little boy hears her voice for the first time in four months.
"I just want him to know that even though I'm far away from him right now, I'll never ever ever forget him," said Egurrola, who has raised her 4-year-old nephew since birth.
"He loves to get read to."
Egurrola is among 15 female inmates at the Estrella Jail who kicked off a new reading program on Friday. "Read to me, Mommy" will allow inmates on the female chain gang to read books onto tapes for their children once a week. The tapes then are mailed to the children.
"Just to let him hear my voice every day would be wonderful," Egurrola said.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the program not only will promote literacy but also will strengthen families.
The program soon will be expanded to all 8,600 jail inmates. About 60 percent have children, Arpaio said.
"It's a good connection between the children who are on the outside and the mother on the inside," Arpaio said. "You can't blame the children for what happens to the parents.
"Why not give the inmates the chance to read to their kids? They can't do it any other way."
The program costs less than $1 per tape and is paid for with inmate funds. About 200 books, including board books for babies and books in Spanish, have been donated by the U.S. Postal Service.
The books were ones that had been improperly mailed and couldn't be delivered.
Delonda McInelly, 27, who is serving time for forgery, picked Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street because her 3-year-old son has it at home. The little boy will be able to look at the pictures as he listens to the tape.
"It's kind of like being there when you can't be there," said McInelly, who still has a year to serve. "He can hear my voice over the tape, and he can replay it as many times as he wants.
"It's kind of filling a little void. It's more of me than what is there right now, which is nothing."
Johnna De Los Reyes, 23, wanted to cry as she read her 2-year-old son a book about a sleepy dog.
"It's a sweet thing to do, and it hurts because I'm in here and it's my fault," De Los Reyes said. "I want to go be with my kids."
Still, De Los Reyes said her son loves dogs, and he'll understand the words she's reading him. He cries for her often.
"He's going to be happy," she said. "That makes me happy."
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 20, 2003 12:00 AM
"Once upon a time the last day of a golden summer," the book starts.
Bianca Egurrola wipes the tears from her eyes and reads the words from Pooh's Grand Adventure into a microphone. Egurrola can picture the "big ole smile" on her nephew's face when the little boy hears her voice for the first time in four months.
"I just want him to know that even though I'm far away from him right now, I'll never ever ever forget him," said Egurrola, who has raised her 4-year-old nephew since birth.
"He loves to get read to."
Egurrola is among 15 female inmates at the Estrella Jail who kicked off a new reading program on Friday. "Read to me, Mommy" will allow inmates on the female chain gang to read books onto tapes for their children once a week. The tapes then are mailed to the children.
"Just to let him hear my voice every day would be wonderful," Egurrola said.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the program not only will promote literacy but also will strengthen families.
The program soon will be expanded to all 8,600 jail inmates. About 60 percent have children, Arpaio said.
"It's a good connection between the children who are on the outside and the mother on the inside," Arpaio said. "You can't blame the children for what happens to the parents.
"Why not give the inmates the chance to read to their kids? They can't do it any other way."
The program costs less than $1 per tape and is paid for with inmate funds. About 200 books, including board books for babies and books in Spanish, have been donated by the U.S. Postal Service.
The books were ones that had been improperly mailed and couldn't be delivered.
Delonda McInelly, 27, who is serving time for forgery, picked Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street because her 3-year-old son has it at home. The little boy will be able to look at the pictures as he listens to the tape.
"It's kind of like being there when you can't be there," said McInelly, who still has a year to serve. "He can hear my voice over the tape, and he can replay it as many times as he wants.
"It's kind of filling a little void. It's more of me than what is there right now, which is nothing."
Johnna De Los Reyes, 23, wanted to cry as she read her 2-year-old son a book about a sleepy dog.
"It's a sweet thing to do, and it hurts because I'm in here and it's my fault," De Los Reyes said. "I want to go be with my kids."
Still, De Los Reyes said her son loves dogs, and he'll understand the words she's reading him. He cries for her often.
"He's going to be happy," she said. "That makes me happy."