Coalition for Community Foundations for Youth

1997 Father's Day Event Summaries

Arizona Community Foundation (Phoenix, AZ)
Center for Arizona Policy

(Have not received report)

Berks County Community Foundation (Reading, PA)
Olivets Boys & Girls Clubs and the Police Athletic League

A number of community and neighborhood based organizations held a coordinated series of Father's Day picnics and activity sessions for fathers and their children, particularly appealing to non-custodial and teen fathers. These events attracted regular program participants of these organizations as well as friends and family. In addition, many of these organizations' teen centers included educational sessions about responsible fatherhood. Finally, a parenting class and support group, specifically for fathers, was initiated by Reading Urban Ministry to primarily serve single fathers and non-custodial fathers. Plans are also underway to create a coalition of community organizations to plan an ongoing focused effort to address the issue of responsible fatherhood.

Casper Area Foundation (Casper, WY)
Youth For Christ
Mike Deveraux Thumbs Up Youth
Self Help Center
Kids Konnection
Boys & Girls Club
Casper Alliance for Children & Youth

Casper Area Foundation and its partners hosted Dad's Day Festival '97 at Local YMCA on Saturday, June 14 for fathers and their children. Sports and a pool party encompassed the day, ending with a barbecue outside of the Werner Wildlife Museum. Approximately 80 fathers, mothers and children participated in the free event. The local Girl Scout troops provided cookies and Parent to Parent conducted a 'Sucker Toss.' Local TV, radio and the Casper Star Tribune (statewide newspaper) advertised the event.

Community Foundation Serving Bedford, Cambria & Somerset Counties (Johnstown, PA)
Alternative Community Resources Program
Cambria County Head Start
Parent to Parent of PA (Southwest Region)

The Community Foundation Serving Bedford, Cambria & Somerset Counties organized a field trip to the Carnegie Science Museum in Pittsburgh, PA for children with divorced parents and their fathers. They attended the OmniMax Theatre show: The Magic Behind Special Effects. Funding was used for bus transportation, admission for participants and dinner. Beyond the field trip, they are continuing their activities this summer by asking youth who participated in the field trip to write an essay on either 'My Day with Dad' or 'What My Father Means to Me.' If they choose to write the essay they will receive a free pass to watch a game of the local professional baseball team, the Johnstown Steal. They expanded this opportunity to include children who are participating in the summer program for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders and their fathers. All youth who participated in either the field trip or the baseball game will receive a certificate of participation in the '1997 Cambria County Celebration of Fathers.'

The Community Foundation Serving Coastal South Carolina (Charleston, SC)
The Mayor's Commission for Children, Youth and Families
Coca-Cola, Inc.
The March of Dimes
The Joseph Project
City of Charleston Recreation Department
Roper CareAlliance (of the Roper Foundation)

For the second consecutive year, the Mayor's Commission for Children, Youth and Families chaired the effort to celebrate Father's Day and responsibile fatherhood in Charleston, South Carolina. A weekend of activities incorporated the theme The Image of a Father included a reception for fathers on Friday; a day of fun at a local park with food, games and entertainment on Saturday; and a day of worship on Sunday. Fathers who were nominated for the Image of a Father awards were recognized in three categories: single father, traditional father and mentor.

The Mayor's Commission for Children and Families spearheads a highly successful mentoring program. As a follow up to the work they have accomplished over the past two years with the Father's Day events, they are planning a project which will enable African American fathers to volunteer in their sons' schools.

Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, VI)
The Women's Resource Center

During the month of June, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands and the Women's Resource Center of St. Thomas/St. John jointly sponsored 'Father's Month' incorporating an essay contest and media campaign to encourage community discussion about the qualities of responsible fatherhood. The essay contest was advertised in the local daily newspaper and another weekly periodical. (PSAs were written by Americorp members and have continued to air even after the month of June.) The executive director of the Women's Resource Center and its board members organized the essay contest. The executive director spoke on three local radio talk shows about the event. They received over 60 entries for the contest. Private businesses and the islands' premier hotels donated prizes. The Women's Resource Center staff members were featured guest speakers at several events during the month. The Center also sponsored a 'Responsible Fatherhood' session for thirty males who were challenged to examine themselves as fathers and were given educational information on responsible fatherhood.

Community Foundation of Central Florida (Orlando, FL)
WMFE - Channel 24
Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida
Metro Orlando Urban League
Children's Home Society of Central Florida
The Center for Drug Free Living, Inc.
Parent Resource Center
Orange County Public Schools
The Junior League of Greater Orlando, Inc.

The Community Foundation of Central Florida helped underwrite a TV program on the local public television station, WMFE-TV in Orlando. The program, called 'Family Works,' aired on Father's Day, June 15, and examined the profile of a young non-custodial teen father whom the community foundation identified through the Father's Matter-Danforth grant. The program received on-screen promotion and the foundation was noted as underwriting the entire program. It also included on-air details on how to contact the community foundation for more information and how to get more involved. In addition, an editorial appeared in the Orlando Sentinel focusing on the challenges of teen fathers.

East Bay Community Foundation (Oakland, CA)
Ala County Public Health Department
Oakland Healthy Start
Bay Area Black United Fund
Preventative Care Pathways
Male Advocacy In Pregnancy and Parenting Coalitions

Three hundred fathers, mothers, youth, city, county and state officials and service providers joined together for the Responsible Fatherhood and Male Responsibility Conference, June 6-7 in Oakland. Through large group 'town hall' discussions, panels and keynote addresses, the conference focused on specific issues such as domestic violence and paternity. Culminating the first phase of the Bay Area Father Involvement and Male Responsibility Initiative, the conference served as a catalyst for a series of coalition building and organizing activities as the Initiative enters its second phase.

Fort Wayne Community Foundation (Fort Wayne, IN)
Job Works job training agency

Produced a local PSA on responsible fatherhood which aired twelve times on a local television station.

Foundation for the Mid South (Jackson, MS)

(Have not received report)

Greater Kansas City Community Foundation (Kansas City, MO)
National Center for Fathering
Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Missouri Public Schools
Project Neighborhood

The National Center for Fathering, in conjunction with the Kansas City Royals, held two ceremonies as the culmination of their jointly-sponsored 'Father of the Year' essay contest on the Sunday before Father's Day weekend. The contest, which was co-sponsored by American Century Investments and Oldies 95FM, drew 2,400 entries from 73 different Kansas City area schools. A number of community volunteers, including the Junior League of Kansas City, were involved as judges reading the essays. Three winners were chosen in each grade category. The fathers or father figures of these grade winners were sent questionnaires about their approach to fathering and their experiences as a dad. Ten of these dads were then chosen for personal interviews by Center representatives. Following the interviews, three finalists were selected: a Father of the Year and two runners-up. The event generated significant media coverage including television spots from the month of April through June 15; thirty second radio spots running up through the event; and assorted print coverage.

Greater Rochester Area Foundation (Rochester, NY)
Rochester Fathers Collaborative
Equal Parents for Children
L.O.C. Million Man March
Planned Parenthood, In-Control
Hillside Children's Center, Dads & Children Together
Urban League's Responsible Fatherhood Program
University of Rochester, Family and Marriage Center
Webster Avenue Resource Center, Fathers' Night

As a result of the 1996 Celebrating Fatherhood activities, seven participating agencies came together to form the Rochester Fathers' Collaborative; the group is committed to developing father-supportive programs in Rochester. Among this year's Father's Day activities were a leadership retreat; a fathers summit breakfast & community worship service; a presentation of Hollywood Dads, a film-based discussion exploring how fathers have been portrayed in movies over the years; a legal clinic for parents which focuses on custody issues and domestic violence; a statewide rally for children and fathers; and a community picnic.

Kalamazoo Foundation (Kalamazoo, MI)
Family Institute

The Kalamazoo Foundation and the Family Institute celebrated Father's Day 1997 by sponsoring the second annual fatherhood conference in Kalamazoo. The conference was held on Saturday, June 14 at the Northside Association for Community Development. The conference celebrated growth and individual accomplishments of fathers who have been participants in the Family Institute's Brother to Brother program. The event was promoted through flyers, invitation, and a feature on the local news station. Sixty-eight participants attended the event. The keynote address was delivered by a program participant of the Brother to Brother program. Agency representatives facilitated discussions about the importance of fatherhood, family and the building of strong communities.

Hutchinson Community Foundation (Hutchinson, KS)
Boys & Girls Club of Hutchinson

The Hutchinson Community Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Hutchinson took a group of 50 youth and their fathers to a Wichita Wranglers baseball game to celebrate Father's Day. Last year's event was so successful, fathers wanted the trip offered again this year. Every father who attended last year's event ended up volunteering time to the Boys & Girls Club over the past year. This year the Wichita Wranglers arranged a special package for the Boys & Girls Club entitled the 'Cowboy Combo.' This included all you can ts right next to the third base dugout and an autograph session with some of the Wranglers players.

Lawrence County Community Foundation (Bedford, IN)
Lawrence County office of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service

For two evenings on the week of Father's Day, 1997, the Mayor of Bedford, Indiana, the local Times-Mail news editor and a local optometrist along with other fathers and grandfathers throughout Lawrence County read children's stories to area kids at Lawrence County's two local public libraries. The 'Tell Me A Story' event was sponsored by the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service. On Saturday, June 14, Lawrence County kids were invited to make their own personalized Father's Day greeting cards complete with a snap shot of themselves. Card-making stations were set up at the Kmart in Bedford and the Mills Market located in Mitchell, IN. Adults and teens from area organizations helped facilitate the event. The Bedford local newspaper, Times-Mail ran stories about the events and highlighted responsible fatherhood throughout the week.

The Luzurne Foundation (Wilkes-Barre, PA)
Greater Wilkes Barre Family YMCA

A father/son weekend was held for 150 fathers and sons. Activities included an ice cream social, kickball games, fishing contest, scavenger hunt, boating, hiking, swimming and a campfire in the evening. Funding was used for scholarships for youth and parents from local public housing to be part of the weekend. Pre and post event publicity was carried by local newspapers and local TV.

Metropolitan Atlanta Community Foundation (Atlanta, GA)
Families First
100 Black Men of Atlanta
Turner Foundation
Fathers are Parents Too
Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention
Zoo Atlanta

A Fatherhood Initiative Committee was convened by the Georgia's Children's Campaign which decided on two major events. The first event was a collaboration with Zoo Atlanta and Turner Entertainment Network. Zoo Atlanta provided 100 passes for fathers accompanied by children on Saturday or Sunday, June 14 and 15, 1997 to cover families who could not afford the $4.50 per child admission. The Turner Entertainment Network provided funding for 100 children's tickets. The fathers involved in the Families First program (Whitefoord Men Making a Different), and the YMCA South Atlanta Branch program received funding from the Fatherhood Initative -- "a lifetime of caring, commitment and consistency." The tickets were all distributed to a number of organizations working with fathers. Both groups at a brief session together on Sunday, June 15, at the Zoo, talking about the importance of their consistent presence in the lives of their children and the need for time to play together. The second event was Whitefoord Men Making a Difference followed up the Zoo outing with a series of workshops based on some of the issues raised by fathers. The Zoo has offered to partner with the community foundation

The Minneapolis Foundation (Minneapolis, MN)
The Urban Ventures Center for Fathering
Father to Father
Minnesota Historical Society

On Saturday, June 15th, the Urban Ventures Center for Fathering, Father to Father and the Minnesota Historical Society hosted the Dads of Destiny Walk for Peace. Nearly 400 fathers attended the event. The goals of the Walk were 1) To bring the issue of fathering to the attention of local and state officials; 2) To bring fathers and families together in a public forum with other fathers; 3) To honor several local fathers and organizations that support the issue of fathering. The Walk for Peace was featured as part of the annual Stone Arch Festival of the Arts which was established by a diverse group of people who placed an extremely high value on brotherhood, acceptance and cooperation. The event draws nearly 30,000 people annually. This year, three of the four local major television stations provided coverage on the Dads of Destiny Walk during their evening news reports.

Dads of Destiny is an ongoing project of the Urban Ventures Center for Fathering. They are planning a two-day fathering conference to be held November 21-22, 1997 in Minneapolis. The goals of this conference are to bring together over 2,000 fathers from the Twin Cities metro area to promote effective and responsible fathering.

LaGrange County Community Foundation (LaGrange, IN)
LaGrange County Step Ahead
LaGrange County Youth Task Force
LaGrange County Schools
LaGrange County Sheriff's Dept.

LaGrange County Community Foundation and its partners planned a Fabulous Fathers Festival which was held at their local Junior High and involved junior high students and their fathers, grandfathers, or father-figure. At the festival, they participated in ping-pong, basketball, sack races, volleyball and tug-of-war. The main attraction was a game of laser tag, using play laser guns in a laser arena complete with maze, fog and strobe lights. The county newspaper ran an article in advance of the event and covered the event with article and photos. The Community Foundation and its partners plan to do the event again next year.

Noble County Community Foundation (Albion, IN)
Three local school corporations
All County Libraries

The Noble County Community Foundation conducted an all county essay contest in June 1997. Children from grades one to twelve were asked to tell why their dad has. . .What it takes to be a great dad. Essay information was distributed through the schools and all libraries in the county served as collection sites. Over 180 youth participated, making it very difficult for our three judges to select winning entries. When the judges finished their task, 60 entries were chosen. Congratulatory letters were sent to the winners inviting them to attend a baseball game in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Upon arrival at the home of "Wayne the Wizard", each father and child had their picture taken with "Wayne" and had the opportunity to get autographs and talk to the players. Each father and child also received $8.00 in "magic money" to ensure that no one went without hot dogs, peanuts or crackerjacks. Extra innings and a win helped make a memorable evening for all. The community foundation feels the message of the importance of fathers interacting with their children on a one-to-one basis was communicated. The foundation is continuing its work on the issue of responsible fatherhood through a collaborative program known as FatherCorp.

Northern Indiana Community Foundation (Peru, IN)
Logansport Pharros Tribune
Marcus Media, Inc.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Cass County

'Celebration of Fatherhood' was the theme of a two-week media campaign promoting responsible fatherhood in Logansport, Indiana. Nominations for outstanding fathers, stepfathers, and big brothers who fill the father void were announced on local radio stations. The Pharros Tribune photographed and featured outstanding fathers in a special section over a two-week period. A locally produced video aired on the local access television station, 'Cass County Connection,' four times a day over the two-week period. Each message stressed the concept of partnerships and coalition building to solve local youth-related problems. The Executive Director of the foundation, Lisa Terry-Bowsher indicated that this grant was a real boost for their community. The dads they spotlighted through TV and radio now feel like celebrities in Cass County.

Sioux Falls Area Foundation (Sioux Falls, SD)
Bethesda Christian Counseling Midwest, Inc.

The Sioux Falls Area Foundation will organize a training to be held in October, 1997 on fathering dimensions which will be conducted by Dale D. Ellens, family therapist and executive director of Bethesda Christian Counseling Midwest, Inc. Ellens has been certified by Ken Canfield, founder and president, National Center on Fathering, to conduct 'train the trainer' seminars across the country. The training will be for pastors or church education personnel, all of whom must be fathers. The one-day seminar trains the trainers in knowledge about the effects of father absence and abuse in America as well as cross cultural fathering; leading small group discussions; and how to administer, interpret and use the Personal Fathering Profile, an instrument that measures the participant's fathering effectiveness on sixteen different scales. Plans are underway to publicize the training through local media.

Sonoma County Community Foundation (Santa Rosa, CA)
California Parenting Institute
Head Start
Kids Turn
District Attorney's Family Support Division

The Sonoma County Community Foundation and the California Parenting Institute produced a report about fathers in Sonoma County. The report portrays a clear picture of who fathers in Sonoma County are, the support services available to them, and national-level trends and statistics concerning fathers. The CCFY grant was supplemented with grants from the local United Way and the Community Foundation. The report was mailed to community-based organizations, local media, elected officials, judges, health professionals, funders and other opinion leaders.

Topeka Community Foundation (Topeka, KS)
Catholic Community Services, Inc.

Fifty-five dads and their kids participated in a fatherhood awareness event at the local park and the city zoo. Local social service agencies provided brochures and printed material on fathering skills. A photographer took pictures of each father and their child/children as they entered the park. Photos were available for pick up later in the day. Free zoo passes were made available to participants and McDonalds provided refreshments. Three local television and six radio stations advertised the event. The local CBS affiliate announced the event on the 10:00 p.m. news as a follow up to a related 48 Hours segment. The ABC affiliate also gave ample news coverage.

As a follow up, the community foundation plans to convene service providers, school officials and other interested persons to develop strategies to raise awareness of the importance of fathers in the lives of their children.

Tucson Community Foundation (Tucson, AZ)
Family Resource Partnership Center
Juneteenth Festival Planning Committee
Tucson Urban League

The annual Juneteenth Festival was the setting for Tucson's Father's Day celebration. The weekend's activities began with Dr. Harry Lawson, a clinical psychologist, who hosted a workshop addressing urban fathers on 'Issues with Adolescents.' A father and child fishing derby at Kennedy Park Lake took place on Saturday afternoon and was followed by a Pre-Father's Day Jazz Rhythm and Blues concert. The weekend concluded on Sunday with a Father's Day Gospel Festival and Concert. Urban fathers were recognized over the weekend for military service to their country.