FULTON, MO – Good Dads Forge, a new program from the statewide nonprofit Good Dads, launched last week with its first cohort in Fulton.
Fathers started with dinner on Thursday evening in classroom space generously provided by LifePointe Church for their first evening of the workshop. At the front of the room was class facilitator Chad Huffman, a fatherhood advocate and Boone County resident.
Huffman said he was heartened and grateful for a successful first night.
“(Participants) asked lots of good questions, and we had lots of heartfelt conversations,” he said.
The 13-week workshops will cover three themes: healthy relationships, fatherhood skills and economic stability.
Huffman said he believes a monumental ripple effect results from his community’s intentional focus on encouraging responsible fatherhood.
“If we can connect with these fathers and get them to open up and share—to be a better father—that helps the father, but also the children, and the school, and the community as a whole.”
Good Dads, headquartered in Springfield, won a federal healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood grant last fall, which became the catalyst for the new program.
“Good fathers make better communities,” said Mary Holloway, a longtime Fulton resident and member of the advisory board for the Good Dads Fulton chapter. “We need them to … realize just how important they are.”
Judging by the big smiles on the dads’ faces at the end of the evening, Holloway says, she’s certain the class went very well.
The chapter previously used a different Good Dads program, New Pathways. Holloway says the Fulton chapter, which reorganized and relaunched in fall 2025, loved the New Pathways program but encountered barriers for it reaching its full potential. One source of friction was the length of the New Pathways program, which took six months on average to complete. The briefer Forge program makes Fulton leaders optimistic that more dads will have the chance to reap the class’s benefits.
One of the dads in attendance was Fulton resident Justin Robinson. The new single dad makes his living in construction. He learned about the class through Holloway and knew he wanted to give it a try for his daughter’s sake.
At the start of class, Robinson admitted it was a bit awkward: “You’re sitting with a bunch of people you don’t know. (But) You get vulnerable with them … and the guy leading it (Huffman) was humble and open. He made it easy.”
In the weeks to come, Robinson says he’s looking forward to learning skills that empower him to be a better communicator to his partner. He’s also enthusiastic about the upcoming lesson on understanding the child support system, one of the program’s financial management workshops.
“I’m building a bond with the other guys, so I don’t feel so alone,” he said. He’s grateful to have met dads older than him—especially dads of daughters—because he feels he can learn on them for wisdom and experience.
Robinson said he found the workshop’s construction analogy relatable, given his line of work. Ideas like teamwork, trust and accountability, all of which are important in building a safe and stable home, also apply to being a good dad.
For class facilitator Huffman, who is in recovery from drug addiction, a focus on responsible fatherhood is an opportunity to heal his own rocky past as a dad. He previously lost contact with his own children, describing his journey to healing as immensely difficult.
He largely credits Good Dads for his ability to reconcile previously damaged relationships.
“I became a grandfather on the 27th of last month, and the only way I’ve been able to communicate well with my son is (because of) Good Dads classes,” he said.
Thanks to his own journey as a dad, Huffman feels he can truly relate to the dads he mentors.
“Rebuilding all that is hard to do,” he said.
Holloway, for her part, sees this inaugural class as just the beginning.
“Since we (Fulton) don’t currently have a program for fathers, I think (Good Dads Forge) is going to make all the difference in the world,” Holloway said.
Through her participation in Callaway County resource networks, Holloway says she hears from her fellow residents time and again just how important fatherhood engagement is for Fulton.
“Community conversations revolve around getting resources together and (getting people) the skills they need to survive—and fatherhood initiatives are a crucial part of that,” she said.
Huffman called Good Dads classes “fulfilling,” pointing to the positivity he’s witnessed when fathers come together to learn and “dig deep,” welcoming the chance to be vulnerable in a trusting environment.
He told the story of a dad in a previous class he facilitated for New Pathways, who he described as “a rough guy.”
“By the end of the program, I saw change in that man: He was open, he cried, he hugged us, and he thanked us for helping him with his relationships with his wife and children,” Huffman said. “Something changed in him, and it was really heartfelt to watch.”
Up next for the chapter, Holloway says she’s enthusiastic about launching Good Dads Strong Schools, a program that encourages father-student connection through before-school activities, in all three of Fulton’s elementary schools.
The chapter is also eager to launch Good Dads +Us, which serves co-parents and couples. Holloway said she fields calls regularly from community residents who are interested in attending a couple’s program.
