Eleven DC Students Win Father of the Year Essay  Contest

Eleven Washington, DC  , school children were honored as winners of the fifth annual “What My Father Means to Me” Essay Contest, and Alfred Walker Jr. was named Father of the Year during the “A Celebration of Fatherhood” ceremony at the John Wilson Building on May 27. The Essay Contest was created in 1992 by the National Center for Fathering and is conducted in several U.S. cities to raise awareness about the importance of fathering. The Washington,DC contest, co-sponsored by the Washington Nationals and managed by the DC Superior Court, yielded 1500 entries from students in grades 1 through 11 enrolled in District schools. The winners of the contest each received a $250 savings bond, and tickets to a Washington Nationals game, and were honored by the Washington Nationals at a home game on June 19. The Collaborative Council was among several District organizations that supported this year’s contest. “Today we celebrate the many faces of fatherhood. I’m hopeful that we will create a memory that will last a lifetime for all of you – a memory that forever locks in your mind the special relationship between a father and a child,” said Carey Casey, CEO, National Center for Fathering. Student essays, which were read during the ceremony, conveyed children’s heartfelt opinions about their fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers or father figures. Syisha Walker, an 8th grader at Cesar Chavez Public Charter school and the daughter of the Father of the Year, wrote: I can admit that I am a daddy’s little girl. I’m always hanging out with him. We go bike riding, to sports-related events, out to eat, shopping, or just hang out watching movies. My father is very supportive, too . . . because he’s always helping out at my school or supporting
sport events at my school or the Boys & Girls Club. Not only does he help out, but he works very hard to support our family financially. I will admit that I’m spoiled by my father, but he will not accept disrespect and will discipline me. My grades are good and I’m always on the honor roll. I owe this to my father. Winners of this year’s contest are as follows:
• Skyler Blue, First Grade, Phoebe Hearst Elementary
• Nikera Young, Second Grade, Martin Luther King Elementary
• Darrow Sherman, Third Grade, Phoebe Hearst Elementary
• Imari Galloway, Fourth Grade, William Doer Public Charter School
• Brandon Odems, Fifth Grade, River Terrace Elementary
• Tatyana Shelton, Sixth Grade,,Friendship Public Charter School; Blow Pierce Jr. Academy,
• Deng Phua, Seventh Grade, Alice Deal Middle School
• Suzanna Carnevali-Doan, Seventh Grade, Alice Deal Middle School
• Syisha Walker, Eighth Grade, Cesar Chavez Public Charter School
• Julisa Larious, Eighth Grade, John Phillip Sousa Middle School

Student essays can be read at www.fathers.com

Father of the Year Essay Contest  Slide Show

Board members and staff of the six Healthy Families/Thriving Communities Collaboratives, the Collaborative Council, and partner organizations gathered on June 14, 2010, at the Sumner School for the Annual Meeting of the HFTC Collaborative Council. During this year’s meeting, Ronald P. Bland, a Georgia Avenue/Rock Creek East Collaborative board member, took the helm as chairman of the Collaborative Council, succeeding Eugene Kinlow, who served for three years. Priscilla Francis of the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative is the new secretary, and Morris Redd of the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative is the new treasurer. New board members are: Everett Hamilton, Edgewood/Brookland Collaborative; Rosemary Akinmboni, Columbia Heights/Shaw Collaborative; Patricia Malloy, East River Collaborative; Gwendolyn Bellfield-Hailes, East River Collaborative; Saadia Athias, South Washington/West of the River Family Strengthening Collaborative.

Tribute to Eugene Kinlow
In a tribute to Kinlow, Dr. Jacquelyn Henry, Collaborative Council executive director, called him “an exemplary leader” who has led from what he believes, challenged the process, and enabled others to act for the benefit of the Collaborative Movement. “Eugene believes in the Collaborative Movement. He has shared his values of how to work collaboratively in respecting the individuality of each Collaborative; however, always showing us how the whole is greater than its parts. He has been present for meetings, Council hearings, and citywide activities, and he continues to charge us with keeping the values of families being healthy and whole,” she said. Henry noted that under Kinlow’s leadership, the Collaborative Council’s achievements included the following:
• Developed first strategic planning effort, with direct input from the Collaboratives;
• Established policy of parity among the Collaboratives, allowing funding to follow need;
• Implemented the Partnership for Community-Based Services with CFSA;
• Initiated the System of Care program with the Georgia Avenue/Rock Creek East Collaborative;
• Transitioned the North Capitol Collaborative to a support center under the Edgewood/Brookland Collaborative, allowing the Collaboratives to be Ward based;
• Implemented the Fathering Court program with the Georgia Avenue Collaborative;
• Commissioned a study for economies of scale that has already saved the Georgia Avenue Collaborative about $60,000; and
• Initiated Project 100 to renew the community in standing up for the safety net.

“Eugene Kinlow has always had a vision that our most vulnerable children and families would be strengthened, whole, and healthy in their own communities. Throughout his years as a visionary for the District of Columbia, he has always managed to use his position to passionately work for the best interest of all citizens,” said Henry. Whether it’s his work relating to unemployment, poverty, tax policy or housing, Ed understands the impact that public policy has on our community. . .. Ed is a valuable resource to the advocacy community and plays a key role in many organizations, including the Fair Budget Coalition and the Save Our Safety Net Campaign.”

Outstanding Resident Awards were presented by representatives of each Collaborative to the following: • Cecilia Jones, founder and president, Northwest Columbia Heights Community Association –volunteered countless hours to improve safety and quality of life for her community. (Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative)• Lawrence Montgomery, chairman of the Members Assembly of the Washington Seniors Wellness Center – advocates for the center and the senior community at large. (East River Family Strengthening Collaborative) • 859 – founded by Sabrina and Cliff Givens, 859 (named for its location at 859 19th Street, NE) helps community youth overcome obstacles by providing mentoring, internships, after-school programs and a summer camp. (Edgewood/Brookland Family Support Collaborative)• Dorothea Ferrell – among her many accomplishments, she founded the Barry Farm Community Center and led the organization for more than 15 years; the center has provided programming for children, youth, and adults, including a computer technology center, GED training, tutoring, and summer programming. (Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative) • Raimon Nelson Sr., youth development associate with World Vision of the National Capital Area – specializes in mentoring urban teens to develop their resiliency and success. (Georgia Avenue/ Rock Creek East Family Support Collaborative) • Nadine Harris, career service manager/ trainer, Career TEAM – has worked tirelessly to provide welfare-to work programs in the District and is the city’s leading trainer in this field. (South Washington/West of the River Family Strengthening Collaborative)

Chairman’s Award
Ed Lazere, founder and director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI), received the Collaborative Council’s Chairman’s Award. DCFPI is the leading source of independent information on tax and budget issues in the District of Columbia. It is the only independent organization that offers comprehensive analysis of the DC budget, and the leading group to promote a fair DC tax system. In presenting the award to Lazere, B.B. Otero said that Lazere “has become the go-to person for information relating to District finances and the DC budget,” and “he is an amazing champion for our most vulnerable residents.

2010 Status Report

2010 Annual Meeting Slide Show

The Healthy Families/Thriving Communities Fatherhood Education, Empowerment and Development Program (FEED) Year One Evaluation Report is now available. The report summarizes findings from two (2) key evaluation questions that would support efforts to develop the program:
1) How is the FEED program implemented and how does it operate?
2) What are the characteristics of fathers who are served by the program?

FEED EVALUATION REPORT-YEAR TWO evaluation of the Fatherhood Education, Empowerment, and Development (FEED) program includes both an implementation study and an outcomes study.

The implementation study is designed to provide information on the core intervention and implementation components of the FEED program and draws on data from a variety of sources, including focus groups with participating fathers, analyses of MIS data, analyses of program attendance records, interviews with project staff, and interviews with nonparticipating fathers.  

The outcomes study includes a pre-post test design intended to document whether and in what direction program participants experienced changes in their outcomes (short-term), as they participated in the program. 

Together, the implementation and outcomes studies address key research questions that support the FEED program’s efforts to develop, inform, and improve program implementation.

The new DC Collaboratives Retrospective Study Report is now available. The report is a look at the families served by Washington, DC’s Healthy Families/ Thriving Communities Collaboratives.