The Rev. Richard Kardell, now of South Hills Assembly of God Church in Bethel Park, said he had a life changing experience while incarcerated in the Allegheny County Jail in 1970. He left prison a different person, he said.

"I met the Lord and became a changed man. Now, I'm helping to change lives," he said. .

For at least 15 years, he has headed the church's effort to purchase and deliver gifts for children of inmates in the area and bring hope to the families.

The church participates in a national program called Angel Tree developed by Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries. Mr. Colson served jail time for Watergate-related charges and also embraced Christianity. Project Angel Tree teams with local churches to reach out to children of inmates and their families to share not just a gift, but God's love, according to the website, www.angeltree.org.

The Rev. Kardell served time for being absent without leave from the military. He had turned himself into authorities, he said.

Each year, South Hills Assembly receives a list of 100 children of inmates from Angel Tree. Each inmate fills out a form with the names of his or her children and the church makes contact with the guardians of the children to find out what they need and what they want for Christmas.

"Most of the time it's clothing, shoes and coats. We ask for sizes and we find out other things they want too," said the Rev. Kardell.

Beginning in late October, the church begins collecting money for the project. The goal is to raise enough money to allocate $40 for each child.

"God is good," the pastor said. "usually we raise more."

The additional money is used to buy grocery gift cards and small gifts for the guardians.

"We have good shoppers, they look for the bargains," said the Rev. Kardell. .Often, he said, the shopping families will add some items that the budget didn't cover. The church provides Christian materials -- a book or video for children. Volunteers bake cookies, wrap the gifts and deliver them to the families.

Ken and Kim Leech, of Bethel Park, and their family have been involved in delivering the gifts for the past five years. "It's our Christmas tradition. We set aside the Sunday before Christmas each year to travel to about five families. We call them first and set up a time. We've always been warmly welcomed. And we feel we receive more than they receive, just seeing the joy on their faces."

Don and Suzie Seckel of South Park said they are humbled and blessed as well to deliver these gifts. "A lot of times they are apprehensive and you don't know what to expect. Ultimately it turns out very nice, usually with hugs, kisses and thank yous," Mr. Seckel said.

Mrs. Seckel remembers one little girl whose eyes just sparkled when they arrived. "There are some children that are hesitant, you can see it in their eyes. This little one, though, her eyes just sparkled."

Often, she said, the person left behind to provide care, carries quite a burden. "We make sure that in delivering these gifts that the family knows the love of God. When we share the love of God, we give them hope," said Mrs. Seckel.

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