A Jubilee Christmas

The year 2000 is a Jubilee year, a mark in time happening every 50 years. People of faith around the world are recommitting themselves to faith, to mercy and to justice. And, as always, when holiday season rolls around, we tend to think of those people who are less fortunate than ourselves. In this Jubilee year and season for giving we would like to share the holiday cheer with some of the many children whose parent(s) are serving long prison sentences under the harsh federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

Many of these children have spent years with one or, in some cases, both of their parents in prisons or jails. This is especially hard on these children at this time of the year when most families are getting together to celebrate the holiday.

In memory of my son Isidro Aviles, who passed away in prison while serving a harsh mandatory minimum sentence and whose children have no hope whatsoever of him ever celebrating Christmas with them again, we hope to make this a special Christmas for some of these children.

In the spirit of Jubilee we are asking that you, your company/organization donate a toy, an article of clothing, or anything that would make a suitable gift for a child. You may also want to invite a friend or relative to donate a gift. You can send your gifts to: Teresa Aviles, 2081 Wallace Ave., #765, Bronx N.Y. 10416. Call 718-931-8471 or email Teresa at taviles@fpa.org

Let's make this Jubilee year a very special year for some very special children.