Lutheran Social Services of Illinois'’ (LSSI’s) Storybook Project helps keep children connected with their incarcerated parents. With the help of volunteers, an incarcerated parent selects a book and makes a recording of themselves reading that book to her or his child. The recording and book are then sent to the child. Parents may also record a brief, personal message, a song, a Bible verse or a message of thanks to the child’s caregivers. In 2009, 16 federal, state and county correctional facilities hosted 70 Storybook Project events.

The Storybook project is currently held at the following Correctional Centers: Decatur, Dixon, Graham, Lincoln, Logan, Pontiac, Taylorville, Southwestern Illinois, Pekin Federal, Pekin Federal Prison Camp, Marion Federal Prison Camp, Vienna Federal and Winnebago County Jail, and three county jails in southern Illinois.

In 2010, a new program -- Storybook Link -- was created to improve the parenting and literacy skills of fathers incarcerated at Southwestern Illinois Correctional Center. Storybook Link will be a part of the Illinois Department of Corrections’ Inside Out Dads, a 12-week program to that offers parenting classes for inmates. Story Link will add a new literary component to that program.

Fast Facts

• More than 4,000 children receive books and recordings from their incarcerated parents each year.
• More than 100 volunteers statewide assist in the recording of the books.
• Storybook was awarded “Volunteer Program” of the year at Logan CC in 2007 and at Southwestern Illinois CC in 2008.
• Cheryl Garlisch, central Illinois program coordinator, was named Volunteer of the Year by Taylorville CC in 2010 and by Pekin Federal in 2005. And Betty Stralow, northern Illinois program coordinator, was named Volunteer of the Year by Dixon CC in 2003.
  

Learn More

To learn how to form a Storybook Project for a jail or prison, contact PFM@LSSI.org.