Being a father isn’t easy. And fathering during COVID19 has become even more complicated and demanding.
When dads are involved in their childrens’ lives, they are more confident, get better grades and avoid risky behaviors. The Strong Beginnings Strong Fathers initiative seeks to strengthen families by supporting the father’s active role in their childrens’ lives.
We are happy to announce staffing changes to our Strong Fathers program that will provide even more outreach, support and guidance to fathers in Kent County during these extraordinary times.
For almost 5 years, William Burress has been supporting dads through his role as Fatherhood Community Health Worker, doing much of the grass-roots outreach and case management. He has now been promoted to Fatherhood Program Coordinator and will refocus and expand the program to deepen engagement in the Black and LatinX communities of Kent County. “We are seeing more need among our fatherhood community due to COVID19 and the resulting economic impact of the crisis,” said William. “There are four major determinants to health — employment, housing, transportation and education. We are refocusing our efforts to provide resources related to all of these major health indicators.”
To accomplish this mission, and to drive greater connection to the LatinX community, Maximiliano Velasco has joined the team as Fatherhood Coordinator as part of the Padres Fuertes programming from Strong Beginnings.
Maximiliano worked as a family coach with the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC) program and was a former intern at the Strong Beginnings program. He is currently pursuing a degree in social work at Cornerstone University. As a single father himself, Maximiliano knows the struggles firsthand, “As a father I have asked myself, ‘who teaches me to be a dad when my own dad wasn’t there?’and it reinforces the need for good connections and support among men in our community.”
The Strong Beginnings, Strong Fathers program primarily serves fathers in Kent County, MI, who have children under the age of two. But both William and Maximiliano are committed to supporting all dads who need help. This includes:
- Education on topics such as men’s health, healthy relationships, and infant care
- Ideas on how they can support their partners during pregnancy and post-partum
- Information on parenting and child development
- Help with getting resources such as transportation, job training, food, legal advice, baby supplies and medical care
- Access to counseling for stress and depression
- Help build life skills such as communication, budgeting, goal-setting and resilience
To find out more about the program, to enroll or to support it with a donation, please visit our website by clicking this link.
