KHON2′s Laulima project is focused on making a difference in the lives of Hawaii‘s struggling families.
But it doesn’t happen without community support.
Trini Kaopuiki introduces us to a Laulima partner who is making a difference in the lives of children whose parents are incarcerated.
Every Labor Day weekend about 150 children of incarcerated parents or "Angels" as they are called attend Camp Agape on Oahu‘s North Shore.
The camp may look like any other youth camp with horseback riding, surfing, games, arts & crafts but this camp is different.
Every activity is intended to teach four things: trust, forgiveness, love and prayer.
13-year old Deidreanna has been attending Camp Agape for the past seven years. She and her now 18 year old brother are being cared for by their maternal grandparents.
"At first, they didn’t want to go," shared Dee Stewart, grandmother. "They just didn’t want to go and my grandson was like I don’t know anyone there."
But, by the end of the weekend, Dee remembers the kids not wanting to go home.
The camp was started in 2005 and is sponsored by the New Hope Oahu Prison Ministry. The camp is run by trained volunteers and junior mentors, like Deidreanna.
"I’m sharing what the people gave me at camp to the other kids who have been through the same thing as me," said Deidreanna, Camp Agape Junior Mentor.
And what she has been through might surprise you. For two years, Deidreanna and her brother lived with their parents under the Wahiawa bridge.
"We just slept on the ground and it was very cold and it rained on us," she shared.
The hardest part, however, was facing her peers.
"When I had school activities, my mom’s not there, nor my dad," noted Deidreanna.
"Parent teacher conferences, they couldn’t make it. And all my friend’s parents would be there and they would ask me where my mom was and I would tell them she’s on vacation, she can’t be here right now, she’s working. I was afraid of getting teased of where I was at the moment. It looked like my friends had a happy life."
A happy life is what she has now. Surrounded by people who love her, Deidranna has a roof over her head and food on the table. And thanks to camp agape, she has love and forgiveness in her heart.
This ohana is only asking for one thing this holiday season. And it’s for you to remember those less fortunate this Christmas.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
