Showing up for Kids

The White House Office of Public Engagement and Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships honors 10 individuals who are doing tremendous work in the fields of fatherhood and low-income men and boys. Because of his work in this field John Sowers is being recognized as a Champion of Change.

A couple years ago, I was honored to hear President Obama speak on fatherhood at a White House town hall meeting. I was moved as he shared his heart – reminding us of the grim realities of fatherlessness.

He said:

“Children without fathers are more likely to drop out of school and wind up in prison. More likely to have substance abuse problems, run away from home and become teenage parents themselves. I say this as someone who grew up without a father in my own life.”

As the President shared his experience of fatherlessness, I thought of my own story. My dad moved to Texas when I was two and became an infrequent visitor. Once a year or so, he drove up from Texas to Little Rock. I wanted him to stay longer than two days. Every time he left, my heart would break. I would die again.

Helping Children Become Part of Something Greater

The White House Office of Public Engagement and Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships honors 10 individuals who are doing tremendous work in the fields of fatherhood and low-income men and boys. Because of his work in this field Carey Casey is being recognized as a Champion of Change.

I am honored to be recognized as a White House Champion of Change. But trust me, whatever honor I receive is not because I'm so great or wonderful. It's really because of God, my dad, and my family. Those are the factors that have made me who I am. As I often say, I’m literally living out my dream as CEO at the National Center for Fathering because of the people I work with and what I get to do.

I mentioned that my father was a huge influence in my life. He cared for me, but also for the broader culture. He was there in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared, "I have a dream." I remember my dad's excitement when he returned home.  When I later studied the speech for myself, I said to my dad, "I wish I could have been a grown-up back when all that was happening with civil rights." But my dad said, "No, Son, you're going to be part of something even greater."

Got Women?

The White House Office of Public Engagement and Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships honors 10 individuals who are doing tremendous work in the fields of fatherhood and low-income men and boys. Because of her work in this field Dr. Stacey Bouchet is being recognized as a Champion of Change.

Women In Fatherhood, Inc. (WIFI) is a social justice organization working to break down structural and relational barriers preventing fathers and men from positively contributing to families and communities.  Our unique contribution is that we do this from the perspective of women.

Research, including WIFI’s qualitative research with women in diverse communities across the country, dispels many fallacies and shows that:

• Most fathers – regardless of demographics or circumstance – want to play a positive role in the lives of their children, and do so when they have the supports and resources they need.
• Most mothers want fathers involved in their children’s lives, even if the parents are no longer romantically involved, because they realize fathers matter.
• Virtually all parents want what is best for their children.

The women we engage overwhelmingly express the need for fathers to be involved emotionally and physically in the lives of children, not just financially. We recognize any woman (or man) who is raising a child alone shoulders an incredible responsibility. Some of these women are overwhelmed; some express anger and frustration toward individual men. Most express anxiety about the future of their children and their communities in the absence of positive father and male involvement.  All of these voices and concerns have become the platform for WIFI’s work.