HCAN highlights important role of fathers at 3rd annual Dad event
Our 3rd annual It’s A Great Time to Be A Dad! was held Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019, at the Cincinnati Reds Urban Youth Academy. The annual event serves as an extension of our Maternal & Child Care Coordination program by encouraging men to see their important role in helping to raise healthy children. There were games, music, food, prizes, as well as a panel of graduates from The Fatherhood Project who discussed their journey to fatherhood and what it means to put your family first. Over 100 adults and children attended.
Parenting a child can be the great challenge of a lifetime. Even in the best of circumstances being present and nurturing for a child day after day, week after week, year after year, can be tough and exhausting. But when your economic, employment or relationship status is in crisis being consistently present is almost impossible. The Fatherhood Project is working to help area men be more consistent, present and therefore nurturing.
Talbert House Fatherhood Project
The Fatherhood Project, is a Community Care service of the Talbert House, a Cincinnati nonprofit that last year served over 24,200 face to face clients. The Talbert House mission is to empower children, adults and families to live healthy, safe and productive lives. The Fatherhood Project extends this mission by assisting men in their efforts to become the responsible, committed and nurturing fathers they want to be. Last year there were nearly 350 men enrolled in their programs.
The Fatherhood Project offers a 10 week parenting class where men learn improved communication skills, self-sustainability, soft life skills and more. They also receive job readiness and even legal services. The Fatherhood Project takes a holistic approach to reduce barriers to security—barrier which block the men from being present with their children and also keep them from being responsible co-parents.
During their course the men begin writing their “Father I choose to be” speech. Several of the fathers chose to recite their speech during the It’s A Great Time to Be A Dad! panel discussion. Surrounded by their community of supporters the men showed great courage and proved they can and are showing up. Events like these help break the stereotype that men, especially men of color, are not active in the lives of their families. Everyone in our community benefits when a stereotype is broken.
Additional sponsors of It’s A Great Time to Be A Dad! include Ohio Means Jobs, Talbert House, United Healthcare, Molina Healthcare, A Sound Mind Counseling, Nami, Cradle Cincinnati, UC Health, WIC, Ohio Commission on Minority Health, Cincinnati Reds, Buckeye Community Health Plan and Paramount Advantage Health Plan.
