The 24-foot trailer was packed and ready: sleeping bags, towels, backpacks and other items needed for a free four-day summer camping trip for children of incarcerated parents.
But late last month, the trailer was taken from the parking lot where a camp volunteer was storing it in Anaheim.
Elizabeth Vallejo, who co-founded Camp Agape California with her husband, said the items were part of the faith-based organization’s broader mission: supporting prison families by creating a space where children can heal, practice forgiveness and build lives. She hopes the camp can help them avoid becoming caught in the cycle of the criminal justice system.
Research studies have shown that children of incarcerated parents are more likely to experience mental health challenges and develop antisocial behaviors. They also face an increased risk of substance abuse and are more likely to enter the criminal justice system.
Vallejo said the four-day summer camp held in September in the San Bernardino Mountains is part of the effort to lessen those risks.
When the trailer was stolen, the loss sparked frustration and anger throughout the camp. Vallejo said she personally went through the five stages of grief. At first, she was in a state of shock, describing her mind as being in a fog. As reality set in, so did the anger.
“You messed with the wrong ministry because you stole from God,” she recalled telling herself, as if addressing the thief or thieves.
The incident appeared to have tugged on something much deeper. It reminded her of the losses she had experienced in her own life.
She thought back to her mother, who took custody of her niece and nephew when her sister died at the age of 21 and the kids’ father was serving time in prison.
“I saw the hardship of [my mother] raising her grandchildren,” she said.
Camp Agape California volunteers pose for a photo.
(Jon Vallejo)
In 2017, when she and her husband launched Camp Agape California, Vallejo said she was tested in profound ways. Her daughter was diagnosed with cancer and endured aggressive treatment before recovering. That same year, she lost her mother.
Amid the grief, she found comfort in the camp’s purpose, creating a place where children of incarcerated parents could feel supported, something she wished had existed for her mother when she was caring for her sister’s kids.
Despite the emotional weight of that year, Vallejo and her husband pressed forward and launched the camp. The first year, she said, they had 110 children and very little money.
“Little by little we were growing,” she said.
So did their stock of items purchased over the years: coffee makers, games, camping equipment, banners to welcome the children on the first day of camp, along with a red carpet.
Videos on the nonprofit’s website show children stepping out of luxury buses, walking between camp volunteers who welcome them with applause and cheers.
This year, the camp expects to have more than 200 children, evidence of the growth that’s happened over the years. The camp, which operates under Breaking the Cycle, a nonprofit they launched last year, has about 200 volunteers.
“It takes an army to make the camp happen,” she said.
Vallejo said many children who age out return to the camp as volunteers.
Despite the loss of the trailer and its contents, Vallejo said she, her husband and the volunteers will press on.
“We still have the camp, we have the children, we have buses and the volunteers,” she said. “Camp’s gonna happen.”
She said the camp teaches children about forgiveness, so she and her husband put that lesson into practice by forgiving the people who took the trailer.
In an effort to recoup what they’ve lost, they took to the fundraising platform GoFundMe to raise approximately $28,000. So far, as of Friday, they’ve raised $26,900. The couple have already replaced the stolen trailer.
“We know God’s gonna come through, so let’s wait and see what he does,” she recalled telling her husband one day. “We walk by faith.”
