Children who have an incarcerated parent have special difficulties to overcome, if they don't receive some additional help.
This is what drove the creation of Amachi Big Brothers Big Sisters and led Ohio Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies to partner and form Big Brothers Big Sisters Amachi Ohio in 2006.
As of the end of 2010, nearly 2,300 children of incarcerated parents throughout the state of Ohio had been mentored on a one-to-one basis through the program. But this is just the beginning. There are approximately 56,000 children in Ohio who have an incarcerated parent or parents. Our mission is to locate these children and to inspire thousands of adults to step forward to serve as volunteer Amachi Big Brothers or Big Sisters.
The impact of mentoring is palpable and the results irrefutable. Mentoring works. You have the power to change a child's life and the future of your community by volunteering or by referring a child.
To learn about the difficult questions children ask about their incarcerated loved one and how to answer them, click here to view and download a pdf of our new caregiver's guide, called Strengthening Bonds and Creating Connections. Recently published by Big Brothers Big Sisters Amachi Ohio and The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, this booklet is very useful for caregivers and mentors of children whose parents are incarcerated.
