Marcus Richardson

Marcus Richardson’s goal in life is to help those in need in his community. This goal started at a young age as he started with ministry work at age 17.

“I grew up in the church, and I’ve been a part of it my entire life,” he said.

Residing in the Columbia, MO, area for the majority of his life, Marcus says he’s always had the initiative to help his community in some way.

In 2016, Marcus felt called to meet with a group of community leaders to drive change in the Columbia area due to an uptick in violence. It was there that he met D’Markus Thomas-Brown, the now Regional Director for Good Dads Columbia.

Together, they formed Community of Faith, an initiative endeavoring to get faith leaders activated in the community. Marcus said that D’Markus is the business side of the initiative, and that he is the church side of it. Together, their goal is to “make a difference in our communities.”

Marcus has been facilitating several classes for other community-driven initiatives since 2018. But it wasn’t until recently that he joined Good Dads work. With encouragement from D’Markus, Marcus began facilitating classes for Good Dads after attending training in May 2024.

Marcus is married with two daughters, and he says he’s learned a lot of great communication skills from facilitating both the Good Dads 2.0 and Within My Reach courses—classes Good Dads uses in its New Pathways program.

“I have better communication skills with my children,” thanks to what he’s learned in facilitator training, Marcus said. “(Good Dads courses) gave me a better understanding of what I’m missing and how to better communicate with (my kids).”

Marcus’s favorite part about being a facilitator is “being with the guys every week and having the fellowship with them.” While Good Dads is not affiliated with religious organization or faith-based education, Marcus likens the classes he teaches to Bible study: He finds that small groups of problem-solving and practical discussion are helpful to the fathers he leads.

Some of the challenges Marcus has faced has been finding a balance in life. With a full-time job working in both the ministry and the community, Marcus has a full plate. When it comes to finding that balance, Marcus said not to take anything personal.

“It will throw your balance off,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, you still have to take care of you. Don’t get too caught up, life happens, don’t take it personal.”

Some people focus on small moments, but for Marcus, the big picture is more important.

“I kind of take it all in,” he said. “I’ve been a facilitator for so long. I focus on the overall result. When the guys come in, we’ll review and check back in with them and see how they’ve applied the lessons. They use it with their partners, and other guys use it, too. In the moment, it led up to where you are right now. I want to focus on the overall, not just one moment, because the moment (only) lasts for a little while.”

Marcus says enjoys seeing just how far fathers have come while being in the Good Dads program. He likes being able to talk with them once the course is over and “seeing the impact,” and “to see where people are now.”

If you’re looking to become a Good Dads facilitator like Marcus, he said that it’s important to remember that nobody is perfect.

“If you want to be a facilitator, you don’t have to be a perfect man,” he said. “But you also have to be willing to walk in whatever it is you’re facilitating. I can’t tell you something without living it myself.”

To dads who might be struggling, Marcus gave one important piece of advice: Don’t give up.

“Stick to your program, as much as you want to give up and throw in the towel,” he said. “The program is designed to push through the bad times, but don’t give up. Stick to your program.”

About the Author

Dora joined the Good Dads team in 2024 and is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in creative writing at Missouri State University. She loves reading, writing and anything related to theater.