In December 2024, Ready, Willing & Working (RWW) sponsored two holiday events designed to make this season brighter for the children of our RWW participants in DC and families of incarcerated men at the Cumberland Federal Prison.

Thanks to so many generous donors we received hundreds of toys from our Amazon Wish List and monetary donations to pay the expenses of presenting the events.

On top of the bags of gifts, our DC families received delicious pizzas from Armond’s, home-baked cookies from Sue Stine, a visit from Santa and festive carols sung by the Capitol Hill Chorale.

At the federal prison incarcerated Dads “shopped” for gifts and wrote personal notes to go with the gifts as they anxiously awaited the arrival of their children. Once united, the visitors room was filled with smiles, hugs and lively conversation as the families did crafts and games together, enjoyed lunch and cake and snow cones, danced and recorded books for the kids to take home.

The 5 hours they got to spend together no doubt made memories that will last a lifetime. The event highlighted the deep joy and connection between fathers and children, reinforcing the resilience of these families. For incarcerated dads, it was a rare opportunity to give gifts and emotionally bond with their kids, reaffirming their roles as loving parents. As the event ended, families left filled with gratitude, hope, and optimism for the future.

Special thanks to Carol Fennelly for the inspiration, Patty Brosmer, McKenna Boyland and Andrew Lee for organizing and making everything so festive, Sue Stine, Ron Newmyer and Armonds Pizza, National Capital Bank, Marlin, Jim and Sigrid Dohlman, filmmaker Matt McClain, the good folks at Cumberland Federal Prison and all the generous gift and monetary donors