By KIM MULFORD
Courier-Post Staff

Two strokes and 12 years ago, Ron Evans found his second calling. The 57-year-old Camden resident has dedicated himself to helping inmates and their families.

Especially their children.

"It's a matter of life and death for some of them," said Evans, who worked as an administrative analyst for the City of Camden before he was disabled.

He volunteers for South Jersey Aftercare and Prison Fellowship Ministries, the national group which sponsors the Angel Tree project.

Children of prisoners are matched with churches and donors who buy them Christmas presents on behalf of the inmates.

The project keeps giving past Christmas, however. Last year, 1,200 children from Camden, Philadelphia and Atlantic City were sent to camp. Now, the local ministry is looking for mentors to match with the children so they can get attention year-round.

The long-term odds are against these youngsters, Evans said. Seven of every 10 children of prison inmates will end up incarcerated themselves.

"We're trying to break that cycle," said Evans. "We're trying to give them a fair chance of living."

And when he talks of death, he means it. Just last year, one of the Camden boys in the program was shot in the head and killed. He was on his way home from taking a brother to a night school program in the city, Evans said.

"He was a promising boy, too," he added.

There was a time when David Monie believed in throwing away the key.

But that was before the Washington Township resident became a Christian and began holding Bible studies at Riverfront State Prison in Camden.

Now, the 58-year-old engineer throws himself into trying to help men who have served their sentences.

"I've seen Christ just change lives," said Monie. "Many attitudes have changed drastically. People do deserve a second chance."

One of the programs Monie volunteers with offers just that.

On Thursday nights at Antioch Baptist in Camden, a dozen or so men meet to talk about life on the outside. The group is part of South Jersey Aftercare, which assists ex-prisoners and inmates who are about to be released.

The Christian ministry works arm-in-arm with Prison Fellowship. It offers practical information: where to find a job and a place to live, how to reconcile with family, how to stay on the straight and narrow.

It also helps them with basic needs like food, shelter and clothing.

"The need is unending, from my perspective," said Evans, since there are thousands of prisoners released from the state's jailhouses each year.

There are success stories. One ex-prisoner now volunteers for the agency. Another found a good job, settled in the area and married. There are sad stories, too, and many more still unwritten.

"I don't see any such thing as giving up," said Evans, who speaks slowly, carefully. "We do the best we can with what we have. If we were to give up on these people, what would the result be?"

The two nonprofits are looking for more volunteers and will hold an informational meeting on Aug. 18. They need people for everything from visiting inmates in the prison to mentoring their children.

"Whatever degree people feel that they are willing to give, we'll take and make the best use of it," Evans said.

If you go
South Jersey Aftercare and Prison Fellowship Ministries will sponsor an information night for people interested in volunteering in the prison ministry from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Aug. 18 at Bunker Hill Presbyterian Church, 330 Greentree Road, Sewell. To attend, call Bill Antinore at (800) 820-4502, ext. 257, or e-mail him at antinore@gtsprepaid.com.
For more information about Prison Fellowship Ministries, visit www.pfm.org .