God Behind Bars, a national prison ministry, organized a Daddy Daughter Dance at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola for more than two dozen fathers who had not seen their daughters in years. The fathers stood waiting in fitted tuxedos and later presented their daughters flowers, a Bible and a handwritten letter. Jake Bodine, the founder of God Behind Bars, said Angola was transformed into something special.
“We redecorated a room located inside the facility into a ballroom and gave them the opportunity to literally eat a nice meal, do a Daddy Daughter Dance,” Bodine said. “In fact, the men had choreographed their own dance as a surprise for all their little girls at the end of the event.”
Over 30 daughters showed up to Angola in beautiful dresses, where their fathers were in matching and fitted tuxedos. Bodine said thanks to several sponsors, the organization was able to give the inmates a different look as opposed to their typical orange uniforms.
“(Sponsors) donated brand new dresses, shoes, makeup, and hairstylists for the little girls and then dads, they did them up the same way,” Bodine said. “They put them in tuxedos to give these guys a sense of dignity and a sense of pride.”
Bodine said the Daddy Daughter Dance is just as important for the daughters of the inmates as it is for the fathers.
“We want to make sure that they get their needs met. That we can bring their dads presence back into their life and then hopefully it redefines legacies from this moment,” Bodine said.
To see more of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bopjxe4wc7o
