Honor Farm Inmates in the Spirit

Lisa Young has spent nearly every waking moment of the past two weeks sewing together rag dolls, teddy bears and doll blankets.

But Young gets as much as she gives working in the Santa’s Workshop program at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Honor Farm, where she is an inmate.

“Doing this is really special to me because I can’t be there with my own right now during this time of year,” said the 24-year-old mother of a 7-year-old boy. Young is expecting another child in early February--shortly after her scheduled release.

In addition to making toys, Young on Thursday helped Santa distribute the toys and refurbished bicycles, which were either recovered from crime scenes or stolen and never claimed, to about 30 disadvantaged children, ages 2 through 14, chosen by the Candelaria American Indian Council.

“These are needy children that don’t get a lot of things at Christmas that most children get,” said Young, who has spent three months at the Ojai honor farm serving a five-month sentence for using illegal drugs. “It’s important for kids to have these things.”

While Young and other female inmates made dolls, teddy bears and blankets in the Project Discovery program, male honor farm inmates from Project Pride carved and painted wooden doll cradles, rocking horses, airplanes and race cars.

These honor farm programs strive to help inmates recover from drug and alcohol abuse, said Capt. Keith Parks.

“It helps them with building self-esteem by doing positive projects such as this,” Parks said.

Additionally, Santa’s Workshop provides the inmates with a way to participate in holiday activities.

“Being in custody, they can’t do much with their families,” said Patricia Funchess, program administrator. “This gives them a way to at least participate in Christmas.”

With wide eyes and never-tiring smiles, the 30 children from the Candelaria council were just as excited to receive the toys as the inmates were to give them.

Three-year-old Amanda Hoke was too busy letting her new rag doll and teddy bear take turns riding on the spotted rocking horse to comment. But her 5-year-old brother, Christopher, took a moment to tell his grandmother about his new bike.

“Look at this--it has a bell, too!” he said, holding his bike in one hand while balancing a new helmet from the deputy sheriffs’ association and a green, wooden airplane in the other.

The Candelaria American Indian Council, founded in 1973, promotes educational, cultural and economic progress for Native Americans in Ventura County.

The council offers financial aid for school-related costs, rent and utility assistance, food and employment services, including providing uniforms, shoes and tools, said Thea Green, a job training specialist with the council.

For information on Candelaria, call 650-8352.