Fathers Forever: Bridging the Gap

A story I heard over the weekend, made me revisit a previous interview I’d conducted years ago. While it’s my belief that a single parent household does not always equate to a fatherless child as most of society would have us believe, I do know that a two parent household is certainly better than one. Although, I feel the statistics regarding fatherless children are skewed when it comes to single parent households, I do know that there remain far too many fatherless children for factors within and at times beyond the fathers control.

Fathers Forever is a non-profit organization based in Raleigh, NC whose vision is “Bridging the gap between fathers and children…thus saving our children, one father at a time.”
Founded by Glen Warren in 2010, who raised 3 children as a single parent himself, understands firsthand the impact a fathers presence can have in a child’s life. The name, Fathers Forever, was derived from the bible. “We know God as our Everlasting Father, since we are made in his image. We too, are fathers forever in the minds of our children. They will always remember us. The choice is up to each father as to how they are remembered. “ And since its inception, Fathers Forever has been assigned 900 plus fathers by local court systems to help ensure that they make a lasting impact in their children’s lives.

Fathers Forever’s first priority is “fathers who are delinquent in their child support payments” explains Glen Warren. The Judicial System refers participants to Fathers Forever as a jail diversion and Child Support agencies refer clients as a preventative measure. They also accept participates through various other agencies to fullfil their purpose to “decrease the number of children being raised without the support of their fathers and decrease the number of non-child support cases in the court system.”

The program consists of two components, each of which are facilitated by a F.O.C.U.S (For On-going Counseling United Support) coach. Component one is a 30-hour course curriculum that includes classes on parenting, anger management, substance abuse, job readiness and destiny development. The second component is a support group with individual coaching throughout the program that provides assistance in job placement, GED (if needed) and other personal goals. Fathers can participate in either component.

It is the organizations goal to “have a presence in every county in North Carolina as well as own several car wash establishments to employ participates” all while continuing to “bridge the gap between fathers and children.”

To learn more, visit www.afatherforever.com

To Donate

http://www.afatherforever.com/donateonline.html

To Volunteer

http://www.afatherforever.com/volunteers.html