Program aims to keep dads involved

Barbara J. Perenic Darryl Bauer

Air Force intelligence center gets new commander May 30
3:03 p.m.
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
1:56 p.m.
Dayton gets boost from committee for UAV testing
5/24/12
Police headlines: Two accused of child endangering
5/24/12
Ad calls Brown career politician
5/24/12
> More headlines

By Darryl Bauer, WHIO Radio 9:45 PM Wednesday, June 15, 2011

I lost my dad when he died on Jan. 31, 1999. But I am lucky, both because he was around for almost 42 years of my life and because he had a profound and lasting impact on my life.

My father left us with many lasting gifts. To name just a few, he was strict, instilling a great measure of discipline in both my sister and me. He also gave us a strong work ethic, as we watched him get up every day, go to work early, stay late, travel whenever his duties required — even on holidays and weekends — and dedicate himself to doing the best job possible.

I owe him a debt I can never repay and his example continues to guide me today.

Many children in our area and across the country are not so fortunate.

In far too many homes, “Dad” is not present and has little or no role in the lives of his children. The National Fatherhood Initiative reports father absence in Ohio stands at 25.7 percent — 7.3 percent lower than the national average. Clark County’s rate is 28.3 percent and Springfield stands at 40 percent.

That contributes to a myriad of problems for all of us, including teen pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse, higher crime rates, child abuse and financial woes. While it may not impact us directly, we all pay the price of dealing with these problems.

But there is also some good news: A local effort is under way to encourage fathers to remain and become more involved in the lives of their children. And that effort includes some very dedicated and talented people.

The Clark County Fatherhood Initiative dates back to 2006, when Urban Light Ministries in Springfield launched the Nurturing Fathers for Life (NFL) program as a compliment to its Sonshine Clubs as a way to reach local fathers of low income children.

This year, a task force was formed to plan Celebrate Fatherhood Clark County, to raise awareness, celebrate responsible dads and to increase father involvement. A number of events have been held over the past several months, including the Leadership Summit on Fatherhood May 25th.

More activities are coming up this weekend: On Friday, there’s a golf scramble at Windy Knoll Golf Club, with proceeds going to Urban Light’s fatherhood and children programs. On Saturday, it’s “Dad and Me” — a celebration that includes a fathers and families rally, walk and cookout at 10:30 at Snyder Park.

If you would like to find out more about the effort, those would be good opportunities to do that. If you cannot make it, visit www.urbanlight.org. And it you like to get involved in the Clark County Fatherhood Initiative, contact Urban Light Ministries in Springfield.

I wish all of you dads a happy and healthy Fathers Day. For those who are not actively involved in the lives of your children, I hope this can be a time of reflection and impetus for investigating how you might reconnect with them.

With questions or comments about this column, email darryl.bauer @cmgohio.com, or call 328-0341.

Darryl Bauer

WHIO Radio

Share this article