Enter Empowering Dads, a Montrose County grant-funded program designed to encourage positive parenting on the part of fathers, foster fathers and other male relatives who take on the role of parent for a child.
“(Empowering Dads) is to assist them in having a positive, responsible and nurturing relationship with their families,” fatherhood coach Britt Parks said.
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“We, as a society have for many years worked with women and children, as we ought to, but a piece that has been missing is the man piece,” Parks said.
Empirical data provided by Doug Gertner of Emu Consulting shows just how absent that piece is from children’s lives.
According to those statistics, 90 percent of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes, as are 85 percent of all children who exhibit behavioral disorders; 71 percent of high school dropouts and 85 percent of youths who are incarcerated.
For Parks, the most disturbing stat is this one: The average man who does live in the same home as his children spends an estimated 12 minutes a day with them.
Empowering Dads is working to change these stats for the better. Fatherhood coaches teach men strategic planning, and the program offers group support, recreational activities, and education, including addressing legal issues pertaining to child custody and support.
Montrose County was one of two counties in the state to receive federal funding offered for fatherhood programs. With a $1.2 million grant for the next five years, the county created Empowering Dads.
“I believe it is so important for the health of the community,” Carrol Warner, chief probation officer for the Seventh Judicial District said of the program. Warner was part of the committee that supported the fatherhood grant application.
“We’ve got a lot of dads who are not clear on how they can be involved in their children’s lives. It’s good, not just for the men, but for the kids,” she said.
The education and support offered in Empowering Dads can help men feel more involved in the system, too, she and Parks said.
Parks said men who are involved with their children are more likely to pay child support.
He also said the program can provide resources when dads feel as though they’re getting the short end of the stick.
“Most dads, especially if they’re going through the legal system, oftentimes, that’s one of the biggest refrains I hear. They’re not lawyers. They’re like a deer in the headlights and they don’t know their rights and responsibilities,” Parks said.
This weekend, Empowering Dads will offer dads the perfect chance to spend more time with the kids.
“Men in the Mix,” its second annual fatherhood forum, features guest speakers, including Gertner, and a tailgate party with special guest Rich “Goose” Gossage, a nine-time All-star reliever. Family-time activities featured as part of the event include fly-casting, kite building, gardening, woodworking and more. Register by calling 252-5034. (See info box).
All fathers are welcome to both the group and at the event, which kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday with the tailgate party at Montrose High School. At 7 p.m., Gertner and Gossage will speak to the importance of fathers in the lives of children.
“He knew how important his dad was to him and how important his kids are to him,” Parks said of Gossage. “He was very happy to help us. He’s coming in at his own expense.”
The event is made possible by numerous organizations, including the local school district, early childhood centers, Hilltop, Whole Life Network, Delta-Montrose Electrical Association, Montrose Recreation District, Alpine Bank, the Bridges golf course and other businesses.
“One of the things that keeps men together is family,” Warner said. “Overall, how can the community lose?”
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