An estimated 2,000 children have one or both parents behind bars in Knox County. According to a 2016 study by the Annie Casey foundation, Tennessee has the third-highest number of parents incarcerated in the country.
Amachi Knoxville, a division of the Knoxville Leadership Foundation, is an organization focused on making sure those children have an adult that they can count on.
Katie Cate, 27, has been one of the constant adults in Reece Harris’ life for 8 years. Reece is 19 now, the same age Katie was when they first met.
Cate decided to sign up to be an Amachi mentor when she was in college, not realizing the lifelong impact she would have on Reece’s life and Reece would have on hers.
“I definitely wouldn’t be the same person I am today,” Reece said in an interview with WBIR 10News.
The pair met not long after Reece’s father was sentenced to prisontime and her mother was left to raise their children alone.
Amachi Knoxville paired them together to give Reece not only a mentor, but a friend.
"When you have a parent in prison, what we've seen is that what comes with that is a lot of insecurity. A lot of uncertainty and insecurity about who you are and what you're going to become," said Alexa Goddard with Amachi Knoxville.
Katie has had the opportunity to watch Reece grow into a successful young woman. Reece is in college now studying to be an engineer.
Technically, they aren’t matched through the Amachi program anymore because Reece is an adult. But she still regularly turns to Katie for guidance and advice.
"I feel like I have a better work ethic because of her. Because I see her work all the time and try to do the same thing she does," Reece said.
“Even though it’s technically not a mentorship in an official stance we try to be here and show her a continuing mentorship but also a baseline friendship we’re just trying to always be supportive and be there for her.”
Katie and Reece have been a part of each other’s milestones: weddings, graduations and soon Katie’s new baby.
Katie inspired Reece to sign up to be an Amachi mentor this year.
"She was 19 when we were matched up and now I'm 19 so I thought it was only fair because we kind of grew up together,” Reece said.
Katie and her husband are now mentoring two more children through Amachi.
There are 26 children on the waiting list. If you would like to learn more, visit the Amachi website.