Holy Family’s Get On The Bus Project, now in its third year, collaborates with the Center for Restorative Justice Works to enable children to visit their parents incarcerated in state prisons, usually on a day close to either Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
Get On The Bus, founded by Sister Suzanne Jabro, CSJ, is an organization that brings children and their guardians/caregivers from throughout the state of California to visit their mothers and fathers in prison. An annual event, Holy Family sponsors one bus offering free transportation for the children and their caregivers to the prison, providing travel bags for the children, comfort care bags for the caregivers, a photo of each child with his or her parent, and meals for the day (breakfast, snacks on the bus, lunch at the prison, and dinner on the way home)— all at no cost to the children’s family. On the bus trip home, following a four-hour visit, each child receives a teddy bear with a letter from his or her parent as well as post-event counseling.
There are over 200,000 children in the state of California with a parent in prison.
These children are usually cared for by relatives, often grandparents. Many caregivers are unable to make the drive due to distance or expense. Get On The Bus offers a priceless opportunity––a mother’s touch, a father’s hug, a family photo, a private conversation and a connection with hope and healing. In 2011, more than 1,300 children participated in GOTB statewide.
GOTB is able to do all of this because of churches and organizations, like Holy Family, sponsor buses for the children in their area. This past year, Holy Family sponsored a bus to the Central California Women’s Facility and Valley State Prison for Women, both in Chowchilla.
Thank for your continued assistance with Get on the Bus! Get on the Bus 2012 is a great blessing to our community, and with your help and support it will also be the richest of blessings to those children who will be united with their parents.
Get on the Bus
Get on the Bus, Mothers’ Day
Get on the Bus, Fathers’ Day
Volunteer Opportunities:
- Home Visits
- Breakfast
- Counselor on the Bus
- Supplies
- Travel Bags
- Media
- Blankets
- Teddy Bears
- Stay Connected Bags
- Dinner
- Transportation
- Outreach for Volunteers
- Physician
- Notary Public
- RN/LVN
- Therapist
A Family Registration Gathering has been scheduled for Saturday, March 3, from 10:00 a.m-2:00 p.m. at the Eden Center, across the street from Holy Family Church. This will give all families an opportunity to have a “one stop” registration; there will be a notary public present as well as the ability to fill out and copy all documents required for Get on the Bus.
To volunteer or to donate to the 2012 Holy Family Get on the Bus Project or for questions or more information, please contact Get On The Bus coordinators, Candy and Jay Krueger at wyb@wyb.com.
