by POPSUGAR Moms 1

Carolyn LeCroy had two children and a career in film and video production when she lent her storage unit to a friend who hid marijuana in it. In 1994, he fled and she got 55 years in prison. Paroled after serving just a fraction of her sentence in 1996, the former inmate started The Messages Project after seeing firsthand how few prisoners received family visits — just 20 percent, according to the US Department of Justice. The program allows parents to send their children a message, an apology, or read them a story from behind bars. The project was created to help the unintended victims of crime, the children left behind.