Illinois Partnership Connects Fathers and Children   

Fatherlessness in America is at historically high levels. Four out of 10 children-an estimated 24 million-do not have their fathers present in their homes. Research shows that children from father-absent homes are more likely to do poorly in school or drop out; suffer from lower levels of self-esteem; get involved with drugs, alcohol and gangs; become teen parents; get into trouble with the law; or become incarcerated.

Four years ago, a group of volunteers in Illinois decided to do something to help prevent these situations from happening. They created the country's first statewide public benefit corporation, Illinois Fatherhood Initiative (IFI), whose mission is to connect children and fathers by promoting responsible fathering and helping equip men to become better fathers and father figures. "As the father of five young children, ages 4 to 11, I was interested in becoming a more involved dad but didn't know exactly where to begin," says David Hirsch, president and founder of the volunteer initiative.

IFI operates in schools, hospitals and the workplace. From the beginning, IFI has developed partnerships and strategic alliances with other organizations whose mission is consistent with improving outcomes for children. "When we started out, we had some good ideas, yet didn't have any resources. We partnered out of necessity to see our efforts grow," says Hirsch.

One of IFI's oldest and largest programs is the annual fatherhood essay contest in which children write about their dads. There are four primary strategic partners including the Archdiocese of Chicago's Office of Catholic Education, Chicago Public Schools, Illinois State Board of Education, and the National Center for Fathering in Kansas City, Kan.

The school systems play an integral role in distributing the contest materials. More than 250,000 essays have been collected during the past five years. Annually, between 500 and 1,000 volunteer readers help select the 144 essay finalists based on predetermined standards. Twelve fathers-a set of three dads, stepdads, granddads, and father figures each-are also recognized at an annual Father's Day dinner celebration.

"We're very fortunate to have the support of our partners. The Office of Catholic Education, for example, not only distributes materials to the schools but does a wonderful job of collecting and sorting all the essays for the volunteers to evaluate. I don't know what we would do without them," says Hirsch.

For additional information, call 1-800-996-DADS (1-800- 996-3237), or visit www.4fathers.org.

<< New Report Outlines State of Education     |    About Our Partners >>

Last updated—February 4, 2003 (pjh)