Good Dads was honored to host its latest Chapter Orientation, welcoming community leaders from ten Missouri communities! The event, Friday April 11, in Springfield, was the latest in Good Dads’ ongoing efforts to expand the nonprofit’s mission throughout Southwest MO and beyond. When we bring Good Dads’ services to more dads, it directly translates to more families and more communities reaping the benefits of focusing on engaged fatherhood.
A recurring theme on Friday was community togetherness. Everywhere you looked, it was easy to see folks building relationships and collaborating as we endeavor toward a shared goal. It was amazing to see what can be accomplished when we empower a community to build enthusiasm and buy-in!
“Ten years ago, it was just me in a tiny office two blocks from here—doing this all by myself,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Baker, a licensed clinical psychologist, marriage and family therapist and founder/director of Good Dads, at the event’s kick-off. “So it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come together. We’re growing so fast.”
At the orientation, chapters and soon-to-be chapters learned the ins and outs of what it means to host a Good Dads initiative—from how to facilitate classes and serve at-risk fathers to the best strategies for fundraising and marketing.
Staff shared all that Good Dads can offer in support of a father-focused initiative in each community’s neck of the woods. It was fantastic to see groups from across the state, representing small, medium and large communities, sitting together to brainstorm their roles as champions of engaged fatherhood. When you think about it, it’s likely that many of these chapter leaders might not have ever met one another if not for coming together in support of a shared mission!
While reviewing portions of the Good Dads Great Communities curriculum (our community development program for towns of all sizes to start their own responsible fatherhood initiative) community representatives also created specialized SWOT analyses, brainstormed father-focused strategies and came away with concrete, actionable steps for starting strong as a Good Dads chapter.
The energy in the room was remarkable, said Rhonda Andersen, Good Dads Director of Training and Education. She proudly described the participants as genuinely inquisitive and invested in their fellow leaders.
“They’re engaging with one another and looking to learn from each other,” she said. “It’s stirring the desire to make their own chapters better and have a larger reach. They’re really ready to take that leap as Good Dads chapters.”
Good Dads is grateful to the community leaders—some of whom travelled quite a ways—to attend the orientation. Together, we can build better communities one dad at a time!
Represented Communities
- Ava
- Branson
- Cass County
- Chillicothe
- Columbia
- Kansas City
- McDonald County
- Rolla
- Texas County
Learn More
Find out more about Good Dads Chapters and discover what we can achieve together in your community.
Ready to buy? Good Dads Great Communities is now available for purchase on our online store.
