Program Rationale
Across the country, a quiet but urgent crisis is unfolding: millions of children are growing up without an active, present father in their lives. Today, 1 in 4 children in the United States — over 18 million youth — live in homes without their biological father. The data is sobering. Children in father-absent homes are:
•4 times more likely to experience poverty
•7 times more likely to become pregnant as teens
•2 times more likely to drop out of school
•At increased risk for behavioral problems, incarceration, and substance abuse
These national trends echo loudly in the communities we serve, where economic hardship, generational trauma, and relational disconnection often leave fathers on the outside looking in. But the absence of fathers isn’t just a statistic — it’s a story I’ve lived.
For me, it’s personal. I was born to a teenage mother. My father’s name was never on my birth certificate. I’ve never met him. And though I’ve built a life and career helping others, I still carry the imprint of growing up without a dad. That experience fuels my passion and my purpose. Forging Fatherhood was born out of that passion — not from theory, but from lived reality.
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Program Overview
Forging Fatherhood is a new initiative designed to help men become emotionally present, spiritually grounded, and practically equipped fathers. This is more than a parenting program — it’s a personal development journey that supports men as they reclaim their role as providers, protectors, and leaders within their families.
Key components include:
•Cohort-based curriculum focused on fatherhood, healthy communication, emotional intelligence, and co-parenting
•Mentoring and coaching for men navigating reconnection with their children, custody issues, or rebuilding trust
•Peer support groups that create safe spaces for vulnerability, accountability, and brotherhood
•Referrals to community-based services such as workforce training, counseling, housing support, or legal assistance, coordinated through trusted local partners
This program meets men where they are and gives them tools to grow into who they were created to be.
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Who We Serve
Forging Fatherhood is open to any father or father figure seeking to strengthen their presence and impact. This includes:
•Young or expectant fathers
•Non-custodial or estranged fathers
•Fathers returning from incarceration
•Men experiencing job loss, housing instability, or legal challenges
•Anyone who recognizes the weight of their role and wants to rise to meet it
Participants may self-refer or be connected through schools, service agencies, faith communities, or the courts.
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Community Goals & Outcomes
We believe that when men show up, families stabilize — and when families stabilize, communities flourish. The goals of Forging Fatherhood include:
•Increased father-child engagement
•Improved parenting knowledge and emotional control
•Healthier relationships between co-parents
•Greater economic and relational stability for families
•Reduction in community-level indicators of juvenile justice involvement and poverty
In its first year, Forging Fatherhood aims to serve at least 100 fathers, using evidence-based tools and outcome tracking to measure changes in engagement, attitudes, employment, and family well-being.
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The Vision Ahead
This initiative is just the beginning. Forging Fatherhood represents a larger vision — one where fatherhood is not minimized, abandoned, or outsourced, but reclaimed. Where boys grow up with models of manhood that are strong and soft, firm and fair. Where men break cycles, build trust, and leave legacies.
For me, it’s personal. And for every man who’s felt disqualified, distant, or dismissed, this program offers a simple message:
It’s not too late to become the father your child needs.