Inmates provide books for kids in Potter Children’s Home

FRANKLIN, Ky. – Back in March, WNKY told you about a local inmate program that allows inmates to record themselves reading a book and send that recording to their children.

Well, a few inmates decided to spread the love further and send recordings to local kids at Potter Children’s Home and Family Ministry

The home houses between 20 and 30 children at a time, and this Christmas, the children will be receiving a little surprise from Simpson County inmates.

Devon Dean, an inmate at the Simpson County Detention Center, decided he wanted to expand the Stories from the Heart program to children who don’t have parents to read to them at all, but, the program did not have Christmas books for the inmates to read.

“The main goal was to touch people’s heart and to give back to the community even though were in the situation that were in. It don’t mean that we’re bad people but we all have good in us,” said Dean.

Another inmate, Ricky Sloane, called his wife and told her about the problem.

She immediately went out and purchased $400 of books for the inmates to record and send.

“To know that she didn’t even think about herself, she thought about us in here, and thought about those kids. Because she knew that one time in my life, I have been one of those kids in foster homes, boys’ camps, in the system and stuff, so she knew how much it meant to me. She said it’s not about the $400 Honey. It’s about the ripple of fact that this will cause God’s love will show throughout doing this,” said Sloane.

Potter Children’s Home will be given 30 books-on-tape wrapped with notes telling the children they are loved and special this Christmas.

“The children’s hearts will be touched during Christmas time and that’s the most important part of this,” said Sloane.

“They’re all going to get a book, they are wrapping them now and they’re going to send them out for Christmas,” said Dean.