On October 27, 2010, Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR), an organization dedicated to assisting offenders in local jails re-enter society after their release, honored their volunteers -- among them the Rev. Barbara Harriman, recipient of the 2010 PATCH Humanitarian Award, and the Rev. Christian Carroll, winner of the 2010 Volunteer Award.
In 2003, Barbara began volunteering for the “Parents and Their Children Program” (PATCH) by accompanying young children of incarcerated mothers or fathers to visit their parent at the Essex County Jail. Twice a month Barbara travels more than an hour from her home in Bergen County to ride in a van provided by OAR that transports between 5-12 children in Newark and surrounding communities. The children and their parent share a meal, and celebrate birthdays and holidays in a child-friendly room designed for these occasions.
Soft-spoken and calm, Barbara has established great rapport with the children, playing games, wiping runny noses, and reassuring them as they wave good-bye to a mother or father. Her ministry specifically addresses the children, who are the true victims of crime.
As a deacon assigned to St. Alban’s, Oakland, she says her inspiration comes from the Gospel of Matthew, the 25th Chapter. Over the years, “I have visited the lonely and helped feed the hungry. There are not many people who go see the incarcerated, or provide for their families while they are imprisoned. This is why I feel compelled to go.”
As the 2010 Volunteer Award recipient, the Rev. Chris Carroll came to OAR through the outreach work of the Prison Ministry Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. As part of the Newark Prisoner Reentry Initiative (NPRI), she has worked with the OAR staff on program development for the fledgling Life Skills training for the incarcerated. The job requires attention and patience in meeting the security needs of the corrections facility, in order to conduct this important service. Chris stepped right into the new program, recruiting mentors, managing relationships between mentees and mentors and reporting to the program director. Said briefly, she has “saved the day.”
Chris is well-suited for the crucial task of bringing a course in Life Skills to students behind bars. Equipped with a Master of Art in Psychology, a Master of Social Work, and a Master of Divinity, she stepped into this volunteer ministry with an open heart, enthusiastic energy and plenty of skill. Chris was ordained in 2007 to the Episcopal priesthood and serves as Priest Associate at St. George’s, Maplewood.
