©2022 by Abby Morris-Sherman
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Support for Families of Incarcerated Individuals
When I was 12 years old, I came home one day to harsh news. My uncle, an attorney, hat sat me down along with my mother to break the news that my father was going to prison. Over the next seven years, I fell into deep guilt and isolation, fearing I had no one to turn to. In the midst of this dark part of my childhood, the arts saved me. Being a part of the theatre community helped me find myself and become truly passionate about something I was devoted to.
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Though I've come out on the other side of it, this experience stuck with me. As an adult, I have launched a community service project called No One Is Alone: Support for Families of Incarcerated Individuals. Through this initiative, my goal is to provide children access to a relationship with their incarcerated parent, while also allowing me to mentor and champion kids who are going through similar circumstances. I also work to educate their support systems (and all people!) on resources and coping tools.
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No One Is Alone got its name from the Stephen Sondheim song. As a kid, when I was lonely, and missing my dad, I would go into my grandma's basement and turn on her VHS of Into the Woods and feel a little less lonely, a little more like I belonged. This program is the thing I am most passionate for aside from performing. I have found such peace and healing from helping children just like me.
I work with communities such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, The Education and Employment Ministry, and Community Renewal to spread my knowledge and personal experience, helping kids dealing with parental incarceration, their support systems, and the prisoners themselves. I cannot be an advocate for their kids without also being one for their parents. I am working on being certified to go into prisons and present to the parents. This is my next big advancement having to do with No One Is Alone.