A Voice, a Book, and a Bond

A mother's voice is recognized by her child even before birth. The tone of her curiosity, the warmth of her laugh. The love she holds in her child’s name. This bond is one of the most widely shared connections people have, but for many families, it’s been a struggle to keep hold of that bond. 

The Women's Storybook Project of Texas fights to strengthen this bond with their work. Since 2003, they’ve worked with thousands of incarcerated mothers to record more than 19,000 books for the sole purpose of connecting these women with their children, who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to share a bedtime story with their mothers. As recently as January, there were 8,598 women incarcerated in Texas, with 80% being mothers. In 2019, WSP was able to serve approximately 11% of incarcerated mothers — 1,600 — and their 3,000 children.

In 2013, a friend of Sun Connor introduced her to WSP founder Judith Dullnig, and her journey with the organization began as a part-time assistance. Since then, she has risen to the position of Operations Manager, helping the WSP thrive behind the scenes by overseeing finance, communications, and IT. 

"I was immediately inspired by the mission-driven environment — good energy, low stress. Work didn't feel like work. The program started out recording on cassette tapes, then CD and now mp3 for download," Connor explained. "The program is four sessions. One Saturday per month, and the last session the moms have circle time to share and reflect, then they receive a certificate of completion from us." 

The women involved in the program are motivated to improve themselves and their behavior while incarcerated because participation is a privilege.

With the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, WSP’s 200 volunteers have not been able to visit prison units, however a new program was developed to continue the bonding process between mother and child — a mail-in program, where mothers are able to select books for their children to read and the books are shipped to the children. Once it’s approved for volunteers to visit the prison units again, the organization will have two programs in place to help more families connect. This new program continues to bridge the gap between incarcerated  mothers and their children.

For those interested in helping through donation or volunteering, visit their website at www.storybookproject.org.