Last week, we held our 14th annual Dining for a Difference: Faces of Fatherhood. What an amazing night! The importance of fathers and father figures in the lives of children and youth can be life changing. From the stories shared by the scholarship recipients to Coach Carter to everyone who spoke on stage at Dining for a Difference, one thing was clear: The impact of a positive adult figure is immeasurable in the lives of all children. The 2012 Dining for a Difference scholarship recipients and other young people impacted by our programs know this first hand. And as Coach Carter so eloquently put it, "we must always be on ready ready" when it comes to making impact on a child's life.
Edward Washington shared the impact of one intentional relationship witha positive, caring male through Families First and how this relationship completely changed the course of his life and enabled him to become abetter father to his own children. His legacy was strengthened the first day that he walked into Mr. Jenkin's office. What legacy will you leave?
The generosity shown through text messages, memories, and testaments shared were utterly astounding and we appreciate your dedication to the mission of Families First and being a part of the legacy that we will leave with our community. As we recognized the importance of a Face of Fatherhood in the lives of every young person, we were also reminded that each of us can make a difference through mentoring, coaching, advocating for a foster child, or even something as simple as taking the time to listen to a young person's story.
We are sincerely grateful to everyone who joined us as we each shared our Faces of Fatherhood and launched our "Year of the Dad." As a result of your generosity, so far we've raised a record breaking $450,000 in support of the children, youth, and families that we serve! Thank you to those who made a gift or a pledge. If you are still considering ways to get involved, here are some ideas.
- Visit our website to learn more about our volunteer opportunities, our adoption services, foster care services and more.
- Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and post a comment on our page.
- Make a donation (mail in the envelope from your program or to make a secure online donation) click here.
- If you did make a text pledge - thank you! You may fulfill your pledge by clicking here. You will also receive a text notification with this information.
- Tell your friends about what you've heard and share the Faces of Fatherhood video.
- Please email us with any other thoughts, questions or comments. We'd love to hear from you.
Thank you so much and see you again next year! To see pictures from the event, Click here.
P.S. Save the date for the Families First day with the Atlanta Braves on June 16, 2012! Learn more and purchase your tickets for the game online and share the opportunity to enter the Faces of Fatherhood contest.