The Messages Project, a charity allowing parents in prison to connect with their children.
Did You Know?
You can have Carolyn LeCroy come speak to your organization. She conducts workshops and presents as a guest speaker at many national conferences, and is available to speak to smaller organizations, gatherings and non-profits. Contact us if you would like to know more.
Links & Articles
12.2007 - CNN Christmas Feature Story
12.04.2007 - "Messages of Love From Jail"
Roanoke Times article about the Messages Project, by Jessica Marcy
03.21.2005 - "Family Ties, Through Prison Walls"
Connect for Kids article about the Messages Project, by Chris Dickon
2003 - Article about the Messages Project and its parent organization, Women in Transition (WIT), Inc., by Carolyn LeCroy
11.20.2002 - "DOC Inmates Send Holiday Messages Home to Family - Fourth year of program in five facilities across the state"
VA Dept. of Corrections Web site article about the Messages Project
Archived News
These articles are older, and links may no longer be active.
12.31.2008 - IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT - 2009 Advocacy Day at the General Assembly! Virginia C.U.R.E.'s Annual Advocacy Day at the General Assembly will be held on the Martin Luther King Holiday, January 19, 2009.
Families and friends of prisoners, and interested individuals and organizations, will meet at 8:00 a.m. in Room 7 West of the General Assembly Building, Capitol Square, Richmond, Virginia (corner of Broad & 9th Streets) for a briefing on legislation and plans for the day, receive handouts for your legislators and to breakout into groups. Read Full Announcement
12.15.2008 - UPDATE - WATCH "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE" CHRISTMAS DAY 2 p.m. ET on CNN! The show will air again in its entirety. If you missed it, here's your chance to see it! More
12.09.2008 - UPDATE - Filming of Holiday Messages Ends.
We — George, Kevin, Keith (those wonderful volunteers) and myself — have just gotten in from finishing up the Messages for the Holidays. They were wonderful...and before I continue I wanted everyone to know that thanks to some donations of books this year, we were able to send many more books to the children with the Mom or Dad reading it to them, so thank you for the books they are a real treasure for both the inmates and the children.
As we do after we finish with the filming we went to dinner, were we share our experience of the day. How they made us laugh, how they made us cry. What did they do that was so touching, and just about how we feel. Words can't express how your heart is so full. Then we plan the next day...
Many came up to me, some who had never done the Messages to say they saw the show and to thank me. Others who have done them before wanted to tell me how proud they were of the work I am doing. One of the men, who has done one each time we have come, brought me some pictures of his boys watching him on the TV and in one of the pictures the littlest boy is kissing the TV. You can see the Dad in the TV it is a big TV:) We will post the pictures as soon as we can.
The women were so excited to be able to do a Messages to their children, many for the first time. They had heard from others how much their children loved them.
The volunteers who went with me as always did a great job. I want to thank them for all they do. I would also like to thank the institutions and the Department of Corrections for all they do to help make it possible.
We are going to be looking at expanding the The Messages Project and hope we have your support in doing so.
Have a wonderful Holiday, you all have made it possible for the Messages to touch many a child.
Thank you,
Carolyn
11.24.2008 - Carolyn LeCroy will have to settle for remaining one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008. Though the top awared eluded our hero, she is still a big winner! Read the full story from the Virginian Pilot
11.21.2008 - Carolyn LeCroy is a Top 10 CNN Hero! The voting has ended, now we wait to see who is the top CNN Hero of 2008. Watch the live presentation show on CNN Nov. 27 at 9pm ET. Hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper, the program honors the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008.
More About the Show
More About CNN Heroes
11.12.2008 - Carolyn LeCroy is a Top 10 CNN Hero! Local channel 10 news interviews Carolyn. See Video at Wavy TV 10
10.10.2008 - Vote for Carolyn and the Messages Project for the 2008 CNN Hero of the Year. Every year CNN convenes a 'Blue Ribbon Panel' to select the Hero of the Year. You can vote more than once, add a widget to your blog or social networking page for the voting, and encourage all your friends to vote too. CNN provides the videos and links on the voting site for your review. So pass it on and vote for the Messages Project! Read the Press Release [PDF Format - 213 KB]
10.01.2008 - Carolyn LeCroy featured on CWLA (Child Welfare League of America) Radio! She speaks with Tony Regusters of CWLA about the Messages Project. More
06.17.2008 - UPDATE: The response to the CNN Heroes feature has been overwhelmingly positive. Many thanks to all those who have volunteered and donated. We are answering email as fast as we can, so please bear with us!
06.12.2008 - UPDATE: We are online with CNN! WATCH THE EXTRAS, BETTER THAN THE TV SPOTS! View Now
06.12.2008 - See us on CNN! We will be featured during our Father's Day and Mother's Day filming events. View the following schedule for channels and times:
June 12, Thursday
CNN: 9-10P/12-1A (Larry King Live) ** NOTE _ this airing will be a shortened version
June 13, Friday
CNN: 8-9A, 11A-12P, 3-4P
HLN (headline news): 7:30-8A, 2:30-3P, 5-6P, 8-9P/10-11P/1-2A
CNNI (cnn international): 2a, 7a, 12p, 8p
June 14, Saturday
CNN: 11A-12P, 2-3P, 5-6P, 10-11P/1-2A
HLN: 8-8:30A, 2-2:30P
June 15, Sunday
CNN: 7-8A, 5-6P and 10-11P/1-2A Replay
