20-Year Impact Report

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20

YEARS of IMPACT



Fathers matter. They matter to their children. They matter to their families. They matter to their communities. And ours. But the importance of fathers is often overlooked. An engaged father makes families healthier, increases economic vitality, and makes communities more vibrant. An absent father causes poverty, struggles for children, and troubled communities. We work to end father absence. It’s been our mission and our passion for 20 years. We don’t just help men become great dads. We lift families out of poverty. We create stronger, more successful families. We build safer, more prosperous communities. We are the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families.

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COLLECTIVE IMPACT ALMOST

MORE THAN

25,000 fathers helped since 2002 MORE THAN

56,000

children impacted positively by fatherhood programs

$20 Million in child support paid by participants while in our programs

78%

of engaged participants leave programs prepared to live up to the responsibilities of being a father

MORE THAN

ALMOST

raised to support the mission of serving fathers and families

saved in taxpayer dollars through reduced incarceration costs from the JOBS NOT JAIL program

$90 Million $22 Million MORE THAN

53%

of participants experience positive parenting outcomes

61%

Searching for work, find employment

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STATEWIDE IMPACT

All 46 SC Counties

Our network with 15 locations provides fathers and families access to services in every county


A MESSAGE FROM OUR

BOARD CHAIRMAN The South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families has helped more than 25,000 men to become better dads, helping to prevent the harms of father absence. That’s well worth celebrating as we commemorate the Center’s 20th anniversary. It’s the kind of celebration I can relate to: As a boy, I learned the difficult lesson of what it’s like to grow up without a dad at home. I vowed to never let my children know the hurt, loneliness and, yes, shame I sometimes felt as I watched my friends’ fathers interact with them. Research tells us that when fathers are absent children are more likely to become young parents, dropouts, juvenile delinquents and grow up in poverty. But when fathers are present, the result is healthy children, healthy families, and healthy communities. It was the absence of my father, as well as the determination to be the best dad I could be, that spurred my interest in the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, an initiative birthed by the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina in the 1990s. The Center, South Carolina’s longest-running and mostrespected fatherhood organization, serves as a statewide and national model for successful fatherhood programs.

WARREN BOLTON

During nearly two decades on The State newspaper’s editorial board, I wrote a lot about the great work done by the Center and the local organizations it supports.

The work that has taken place over the years is amazing. The programs have grown immensely and now challenge men to focus on responsible fatherhood, job readiness and retention, soft-skills training, managing childsupport obligations, financial management, parenting/co-parenting, healthy relationships, anger management and much more.

Helping fathers reclaim their lives is not only a good work, it’s God-guided work – a ministry. I’m honored to serve as chairman of the Center’s board. It is my sincere prayer that with God’s help – and the continued support of our valued donors, supporters and staff – this ministry will continue to flourish and grow, uplifting families, communities and our entire state.

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WE CHAMPION THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHERHOOD

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Awareness: Bringing the Importance of Fatherhood to the Forefront

Too often, fathers are forgotten. Even well-meaning programs that focus on family success can inadvertently neglect the critical role that fathers play. As the voice for fathers, we work every day to shine a spotlight on fatherhood, to show why fathers matter, and to raise awareness about their irreplaceable contribution to their families and our communities. From speaking engagements to partnerships and community outreach, we work to bring the importance of fathers to the forefront.

Advocacy: Creating Policies that Promote Responsible Fatherhood

We lead the charge to remove obstacles for fathers and advocate for policies that make life better for fathers, their families, and the community. Our work makes it easier for fathers to gain employment and engage with their children, resulting in millions of additional dollars in child support paid to families, and millions in taxpayer savings. We create platforms for fathers to candidly share their struggles and to inform the policies that impact their lives.

Statewide Network: Providing the Funding and Capacity Building for Local Organizations

We provide funding and expertise to six regional fatherhood organizations. Our support provides a consistent model of service delivery and continuous program innovation. We develop the statewide model and curriculum for programs, provide training and technical support, monitor program effectiveness, and evolve our approach through continuous quality improvement. This enhances our collective impact and allows our local organizations to focus on what they do best: providing one-to-one direct services to fathers.

Fatherhood Resources: Creating Practical Tools that Help Fathers Succeed

Navigating the landscape of fatherhood parental issues can be complicated. That’s why we create and maintain a library of easy-to-use resources to support and educate fathers. This includes a video series on legal issues fathers commonly face, the Responsible Father Registry, online tools to gain access to child support modification and visitation, guides for understanding child support, expungement, accessing information about a child’s education, establishing paternity, and much more. Our resources are used as the de facto fatherhood guides by state agencies and other non-profits.

National Leadership: Giving Back to a Growing Field

The Center is a pioneer in the fatherhood field – not just in South Carolina, but also nationwide. We have spent countless hours supporting fatherhood organizations across the country, sharing our insight and our model for successful fatherhood programs and statewide approaches. Through our speaking, writing, and hosting visits from other organizations, we work to give back to the field that was in its infancy when we started 20 years ago. We have been identified as one of the nation’s “promising practices” and are a frequent contributor and consultant with the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse.

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OUR 20-YEAR TIMELINE THE CATALYST FOR OUR CREATION Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina Our work of helping men become engaged fathers so their children can thrive is a mission of love for the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina. In the late 1990s, the Foundation set out to learn what created poverty among children in our state. They found a common denominator in child poverty and poor outcomes for children: father absence. From 1998-2000, the Foundation established several initiatives across the state to help men rebuild their lives, become better fathers, and reconnect with their families. With the recognition that services alone were not enough to help fathers overcome challenges, the Foundation also established the Fatherhood Policy Project Office to spotlight well-intended policies that negatively impacted fathers. The South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families was born in 2002 when the Foundation partnered with SC Department of Social Services to provide even more time and resources to increase the impact of fatherhood work. With the help of the Foundation, the Center unified the work across the state, amplifying their voices, providing resources, and leading an organized statewide effort to support fathers and families. Our statewide network was one of the first of its kind.

SC Department of Social Services The Center has a long, successful history of creating collaborations and partnerships that serve men and their families. Our long-time relationship with the South Carolina Department of Social Services is one of our most significant and impactful partnerships. DSS promotes the safety and well-being of children to strengthen families. Our partnership elevates the importance of serving the whole family: DSS providing support for mothers and children, combined with the Center’s focus on empowering fathers to provide for the well-being of children and families. Since the Center’s creation, we have worked side by side with DSS. Together we provide wraparound services that strengthen families, removing systemic barriers that prevent fathers from being engaged. DSS was a catalyst for the Center’s statewide expansion and continues as an active partner, creating more opportunities to include fathers.

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2002

The South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families begins its statewide impact!

2004

Key SC Supreme Court Endorsement of the Jobs Not Jail program accelerates creating a model fatherhood program statewide. The Supreme Court allowed men to be ordered into Center programs instead of mandatory incarceration. The Center replicated the program statewide, and it later became a national model. SC Legislature and SC Bar Foundation invest in the programs, saving taxpayers millions each year.

2005

The Center joins national fatherhood movement as one of first fatherhood organizations to receive a federal grant to support responsible fatherhood.

2007

Men’s Health program is launched! Understanding the critical role of health in successful parenting and with an investment by the Duke Endowment, the Center becomes one of the first fatherhood programs to offer a men’s health component. Men’s Health enhanced the Center’s other initiatives on parenting, healthy relationships, and economic mobility. Colonial Life would later become a sustaining force for men’s health.

2011

Key statewide partnership provides resources to help fathers represent themselves in court for visitation and child support modification.

2012

Advocacy Success: The SC Attorney General issues opinion that civil contempt for child support should not appear on SLED criminal background checks. This resulted in more accurate criminal records, clearing the entire record of many fathers and allowing them a fresh start. The Center expands its role as a national model for fatherhood programs. DSS Child Support Services and the Center partner on a National Demonstration project, showing the link between child support, community programs, and workforce development.

2013

Work with young fathers begins. The Center, Children’s Trust and Fact Forward partner to support teen parents and their families. This helps young fathers delay second pregnancies until they are ready.


2014

The Center improves outcome tracking to show the collective impact of fatherhood programs with a customized, statewide, data collection system. This facilitates creating evidence-supported practices. The Center expands library of go-to resources to support fathers. The Center creates a record-expungement guide, which is adopted as a recommended resource by agencies across the state.

2015

DSS awards contract for statewide expansion. The Center receives support to add Anderson, Florence, Sumter, Rock Hill, Berkeley, and other locations.

2017

Curriculum updates and quality improvement initiatives strengthen statewide model. The Center launches updated curriculum and new program calendar standardizes statewide offerings and implements continuous quality improvement and data quality management programs.

2018

More capacity building for local fatherhood organizations. Success Rubric and Performance Dashboard and training portal launch, creating statewide standards and training for fatherhood programs. Years of advocacy work rewarded when the SC Legislature passes an Expanded Expungement bill, allowing fathers the chance to rebuild their lives.

2019

The Center spearheads statewide collaboration promoting father-friendly policies and services.

2020

The Center begins preparing young men to thrive in adulthood. The Center develops the Reality Check curriculum and launches an initiative for young men who are not yet fathers. Help for fathers continues during pandemic with virtual programs and innovative approaches for the challenging times. Center creates partnerships with DHEC and DJJ.

2022

20 years strong. Together we continue our journey.

SEVEN


OUR STATEWIDE NETWORK The South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families is one of the nation’s largest and longest-serving, statewide fatherhood networks. We work in tandem with our local organizations to create a robust network of holistic services that support fathers. We celebrate each local organization’s unique character and contributions to their community, the state, and the overall Fatherhood movement. The Center creates curriculum, the programming model and provides training.

Our fatherhood core curriculum, Destination Fatherhood, weaves the common theme of responsible fatherhood through the key components of:

Parenting • Economic Mobility Healthy Relationships • Men’s Health Each component is facilitated in a peer support group setting over four 6-week segments, each with its own curriculum and companion workbooks. A wide variety of added, individualized services enhance the curriculum and help fathers achieve their goals. EMPLOYABILITY BOOT CAMP EMPLOYMENT SEARCH MEDIATION FOR VISITATION TRANSPORTATION ATTENDANCE AT FAMILY COURT ASSISTANCE NAVIGATING SYSTEMS REFERRALS FOR HOUSING REFERRALS FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE REFERRALS FOR LEGAL ASSISTANCE AND MORE Through our oversight and coordination, the Center provides: • Overall direction • Capacity-building • Partner development and engagement

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• Resources • Fidelity monitoring • Strategic planning • Data analysis


Serving All 46 Counties Across the State A Father’s Way

Serving Chester, Lancaster, York and Union counties

afatherswaysc.org

Man 2 Man

Serving Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion and Marlboro counties

man2manfathers.com

Upstate Fatherhood Coalition

Serving Abbeville, Anderson, Cherokee, Greenwood, Greenville, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg counties

upstatefathers.org

A Father’s Place

Serving Georgetown, Horry and Williamsburg counties

Midlands Fatherhood Coalition

Serving Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Clarendon, Edgefield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda and Sumter counties

midlandsfathers.com

afathersplace.org

Father to Father

Serving Allendale, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton and Jasper counties

fathertofatherinc.org

Each of Our Six Regional Organizations Operates as an Independent 501c3, but Share a Common Mission and Passion for Serving Fathers.

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TEN


THE CENTER

ADVOCATES

Creating Policies that Promote Responsible Fatherhood

FATHER TO FATHER

A Shining Example of Advocacy Roadblock to Responsible Fatherhood What stops fathers from being engaged with their children? Too often, it is a bad policy or practice, not the lack of desire, that separates families and creates compounding obstacles that are difficult to overcome. One example is incarceration for non-payment of child support.

Father to Father’s innovative response to fathers’ needs combined with the Center’s advocacy and statewide presence, created successful reforms that benefit fathers, children, and taxpayers.

Father to Father experienced the frustration of recruiting and working with fathers only to lose them to incarceration just when they were beginning to make progress. Family court judges were also frustrated because incarceration did not help men pay their child support. Instead, it forced them into the revolving doors of the court system.

Local Solution Father to Father asked local family court judges to order fathers into their program for six months in lieu of incarceration. In exchange, Father to Father promised to help men find jobs, pay child support, and become more engaged in their children’s lives. Judges agreed and Father to Father launched a successful pilot project.

Statewide Impact The Center later approached Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal, advocating to replicate the program in every family court where a local fatherhood program existed. With Justice Toal’s backing, Jobs Not Jail, an alternative to incarceration for nonpayment of child support, was born. The Center continued its role as a voice for fathers during the state’s efforts to examine and promote sentencing reform. The Center advocated to use Jobs Not Jail as a model diversionary program for non-violent offenses and asked to expand its reach from civil court to criminal court. Seeing the value of the local fatherhood programs, and the millions of taxpayer dollars saved by putting fathers to work and paying child support, the Legislature agreed. It also provided funding through the SC Commission on Prosecution Coordination, the designated oversight agency for diversion programs, to support Jobs Not Jail.

ELEVEN


THE CENTER

INCREASES IMPACT Building Organizational Capacity to Serve Fathers

A FATHER’S PLACE

A Standard of Organizational Excellence

I have had nothing but support at A Father’s Place. Absolute, unwavering support. This place has helped me see that there is an “after.” This place is my world. It’s everything to me. I’ve done a 180 change in my life. This place has probably saved my life.

Program Participant

Roadblock to Responsible Fatherhood Men in general – and fathers in particular – are categorically ignored and underserved by virtually every social program in our state and nationwide. This oversight, combined with the pervasive attitude that “men just need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” belies the systemic social, legal, and economic barriers that often mean many men never had “bootstraps” to use. Fatherhood services are scarce, leaving men feeling hopeless, with no where to turn.

Local Innovation A Father’s Place opened its doors in 2000 with the idea that the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. It understood the truism that every one of us needs a little help at some point in our lives—and focused being the resource to deliver that help for fathers. The program quickly established itself as a “one-stop shop” for fathers and became a go-to agency for “all things fatherhood.”

Statewide Impact The Center has worked with our local organizations to create strong, impactful programming in tandem with organizational capacity. This effort is apparent at A Father’s Place, which is a model nonprofit organization, constantly working to incorporate and implement new standards of excellence. One instance where A Father’s Place raises the bar is in the area of data quality and analysis. The Center

TWELVE

infused funding to support Data Quality Managers and A Father’s Place enthusiastically embraced this addition to strengthen the structure for collecting customized data. This new infrastructure supported an environment that allowed programming to thrive based off of data-driven decisions. The Center’s organizational capacity building combined with the commitment to make quality programming a top priority, have helped A Father’s Place become a touchstone throughout Horry County. A Father’s Place has been recognized as Nonprofit of the Year and earned the SC Attorney General “Angel Award,” recognizing it as one of the charitable organizations with the highest percentage of funding going directly to fund program services. This model of excellence is replicated across the regional organizations the Center supports.


THIRTEEN


KEITO JORDAN

The Long View. A Success Story 20 Years in the Making

Fatherless Son. Father. Inmate. Engaged Father. Fatherhood Advocate. Entrepreneur. Grandfather. His name is Keito Jordan. We know him now as “Mr. Fatherhood,” an engaged father, a doting grandfather, and prospering entrepreneur running a family business. But there was a time when both his new nickname and the success he’s achieved were unimaginable.

This was the first time I made a step in the right direction to become the father I always wanted to be. People who join the Fatherhood Coalition come for different reasons but leave with the same reward. You become better men and better fathers. Keito said

Keito was 23 years old when life brought him to our local fatherhood organization at the Midlands Fatherhood Coalition. Just released from prison, he didn’t have a real relationship with his daughter. How could he? In prison, he was only able to see her a few hours at a time during weekend visits. What role model could he use when he grew up without a father figure to show him how to be a dad? He never even met his father until his was 17 years old. By that time, his father was already dying of AIDS, making their reunion both short and devastating for Keito.

Attending our fatherhood program was the start of a personal transformation. “The program was a savior. I got to hear other men going through the same thing, so I knew I wasn’t out there by myself,” Keito remembers. He began as a program participant, but years later joined our team as an Intervention Specialist, working to help other fathers like himself to find their greatness. Keito never stopped working to be a better father and a better man. Today, his four children are ages 22-26 and he’s not just involved in their lives, he’s a role model for the next generation of his family and loving his time as a grandfather. Keito’s journey is a testament to the transformation that happens when men are given the help, the support network, and the tools that allow them to be the men and fathers they long to be.

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DEPUTY TOMAS SANTIAGO Removing Roadblocks to Family Success

Tomas Santiago was working hard to regain access to his children but hit roadblock after roadblock in his fight to be a meaningful part of their lives. At his lowest point, he had lost access to his two children and was unemployed. The roadblocks just kept stacking up.

I had tried to go through the system on my own. I was doing my best, but every time I tried to tell my side, I felt like I was met with so much hostility and that the system just was not set up to be sympathetic to the father. I had accepted that the cards were stacked against me when a friend told me about A Father’s Place. Tomas said

custody arrangement. With the help of A Father’s Place, I was able to work through it with my ex-wife, and now my son is living with me full time,” he said. “My daughter also wants to be here more and more, and now I get to spend holidays and weekends with her. It’s not ideal, but it is 150% better than it was before.” Tomas has taken advantage of every opportunity to create a better life for himself and his children. His journey has led him to redefine himself. “I honestly feel like, with the help of A Father’s Place, my role in life now is just to be a good father. All these battles that I fought to get to spend time with my kids is a testament to what they mean to me.”

Tomas received the tools he needed to become the dad he always wanted to be. The first hurdle was a new driver’s license so he could get back to work. But it was a vicious cycle. He could not reinstate his license because his child support was in arrears. He could not get current on child support without employment, which required a driver’s license. A Father’s Place worked with DSS to get Tomas’ license reinstated. That helped Tomas return to his career as a deputy and provide for his family. “That one thing pushed the rest of it to happen. I was able to provide for my kids. Pick them up and take them places. Pay child support. I always wanted to support my children, but without my license, it was impossible to work at my career,” Tomas said. Tomas also received help in the courtroom. “I found out that my children have rights. My 13-year-old son was very vocal about wanting to live with me. It broke my heart that he wanted to be with me more but couldn’t because of the

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SIXTEEN


THE CENTER

UNDERSTANDS FATHERS Moving Beyond Programs and Touching Men’s Hearts

MIDLANDS FATHERHOOD COALITION The Heartbeat of Fatherhood

Roadblock to Responsible Fatherhood How do our programs help so many men transform their lives? We understand that real change must come from within. We begin the journey of assisting every man by understanding his heart.

I didn’t think that I was worthy of raising a child, but the program truly Local Solution helped me to find that fatherhood figure Charles Brown, the late assistant director at the Midlands that I’ve always had in myself the whole Fatherhood Coalition, was fond of quoting, “You can’t go time. The fatherhood program gave me a back and make a new start, but you can start right now and make a brand-new ending.” The organization has embraced voice and lets me know that I am heard. this perspective and it resonates in everything they do. It lets me know that I do matter. It lets Midlands Fatherhood Coalition has mastered the ability to me know that I’m not inadequate, that help men see the power in a second chance. my son does need me, that my presence It starts the moment men walk through the doors and into does matter, and my absence matters a welcoming and non-judgmental environment. Every step even more. I can now just stand tall and of the process affirms participant’s personal value as men stand consistent in my son’s life and life and as fathers. They see through staff and the life examples of other fathers that it is never too late to make any wrongs in general. Program Participant

Center Impact

A key principle of the Center’s approach is that a successful father-engagement program must first help men process their emotions. They must address their emotions about their relationships with their own fathers, their feelings about themselves as men and as fathers to their children, and their beliefs about their own abilities to change their lives. It is only then that men can truly benefit from our proven curricula. Midlands Fatherhood Coalition exemplifies this understanding.

right.

“I didn’t know what to expect. It’s tough to admit that you don’t have it together, especially being a man and going to tell other men, ‘hey something’s wrong.’ But when I walked in, all those fears were just shut at the door because I was greeted so warmly. Within my first few steps, I knew that I was at a place where I could be honest without being judged and that there were genuinely people that wanted what was best for me,” said a program participant. At Midlands Fatherhood Coalition, group sessions form bonds where both care and accountability co-exist. Everyone who visits, from donors and board members to community volunteers, business and government leaders, feels the heartbeat of fatherhood.

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THE CENTER

CREATES PROGRAMMING Evolving Programs to Meet Fathers’ Needs

A FATHER’S WAY

An Environment for Innovation Roadblock to Responsible Fatherhood A man’s physical, mental, and emotional health is critical to his ability to be a present and loving father. But many fathers suffer physically from years of ignoring their health. They can also suffer mentally and emotionally from the stress caused by poverty, strained and complex relationships, unemployment, depression, and more. These problems, combined with a general lack of trust in formal institutions, dissuade men from seeking medical help and make prioritizing medical treatment even more unlikely.

Local Innovation In 2007, the Center utilized funding from the Duke Endowment to develop an “Access to Healthcare” component. A Father’s Way piloted the healthcare program, offering countless hours of healthcare to fathers in Lancaster and surrounding counties. The Center’s nurse practitioner provided men with ongoing access to healthcare, including health screenings and regular check-ins at group sessions to treat any health flareups. More than the medical component, A Father’s Way changed men’s beliefs about the importance of healthcare. By carefully monitoring their interactions with fathers, the organization created relationships and pathways for the male staff members to normalize seeking healthcare as a way of life. That attitude shift remains even after participants leave the program.

Statewide Impact Health outcomes include decreased blood pressure, smoking cessation, and sometimes even cheating death by identifying and treating chronic conditions. But the work is still evolving. After years of healthcare interventions, the Center is shifting its work to focus more on prevention. The Center is working with A Father’s Way and the other local organizations to introduce wellness, nutrition, exercise and mental health as part of the program. The success of the pilot program at A Father’s Way has yielded health benefits for fathers across the state.

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NINETEEN


TWENTY


THE CENTER

BUILDS PARTNERSHIPS Connecting the Community to Serve Fathers

UPSTATE FATHERHOOD COALITION Creates New Best Practices for Partnerships

Roadblock to Responsible Fatherhood The Center’s policy work uncovered barriers to father involvement in the Child Welfare System. Children were being removed from a non-custodial mother’s care, but DSS staff didn’t have the resources to conduct a diligent search to locate the father as a possible placement. A child’s paternal family was routinely overlooked when only the mother and her family were considered for child placement. Worse, when fathers contacted DSS, they couldn’t get any information about their children.

Local Innovation Upstate Fatherhood Coalition knew that partnerships would be key to helping families in the child welfare system and reached out to the county DSS office. They created a powerful partnership where the organization found, engaged, and supported fathers while DSS provided similar support to mothers in their programs. Upstate Fatherhood Coalition helped fathers create parenting plans to help get their children back home and avoid the last resort of foster care. Both groups worked with the common goal of reuniting children with their parents.

Statewide Impact The Spartanburg DSS and Upstate Fatherhood Coalition partnership serves as a model for how two agencies with different approaches, but a common mission, can collaborate to create better outcomes. The Center has replicated this model in father-friendly training across the state. The partnership with DSS continues to ramp up training for DSS and local fatherhood organizations to implement the program consistently across the state. This work improves the lives of children and families, while also reducing the costs to provide quality care for children.

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THE CENTER

BREAKS BARRIERS Solving Real-World Problems for Fathers

MAN 2 MAN

Leads the Way with Business and Employment

Everything that I learned from Man 2 Man put me in a position where now, when I go to work, I look at my job as a career. They taught me about job stability and financial responsibility. They helped me become a better father to my kids. They molded me into who I am now. Program Participant

Roadblock to Responsible Fatherhood Fathers often identify unemployment or underemployment as one of the top problems that stops them from building meaningful relationships with their children. Everything from creating a stable home environment to the ability to pay child support hinge on a father’s employment status.

Center Support The Center has worked closely with local organizations to not only create relevant curriculum but also worked to create resources and identify the necessary partnerships and community connections to help fathers overcome barriers to employment. In 2012, the Center created the Employability Boot Camp where unemployed fathers prepare for employment over the course of five days of intensive work.

Local Innovation Man 2 Man takes the Employability Boot Camp to the next level by working with local employers to take the Boot Camp curriculum into the workplace. The result is that existing employees who are fathers have the support they need to succeed both at work and at home.

TWENTY TWO

Man 2 Man helps prepare men for successful employment and match them with local employers in the area by: • Utilizing the Center’s Record Expungement Guide and working with local legal partners to help men who need to expunge their records to secure employment. • Providing the Employment Mobility Curriculum, where fathers learn about managing finances, growing assets, and providing financially for their family. • Building relationships with technical colleges to maximize access to training so that men can move from jobs to careers. • Creating a network of employers who recruit employees at Man 2 Man because they know their fathers are prepared to work and will be supported during their employment. • Providing transportation to and from work until more reliable transportation can be found, removing a barrier to work common in rural communities.


TWENTY THREE


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Board of Directors

Staff

The Center is fortunate that a talented team of community leaders have joined our cause to end father absence. Thank you to everyone who has served on the Center’s Board of Directors.

Our work would be impossible without the dedicated support of the staff at the Center and at our local fatherhood organizations. We appreciate and value the work of everyone who has worked with us in our 20-year history.

Former Board Chairs Judge Bill Byars 2002-2003 Rick Wade 2003-2005 Dr. Karry Guillory 2006-2007 Chris Myers 2008-2009 Chrissy Dingledine 2010-2011 Julio Mendoza (Rick) 2012-2013 Bill Bradshaw 2014-2015 Tim Arnold 2016-2020 Warren Bolton 2021-Present

Center Team Patricia Littlejohn, President Karriem Edwards, Incoming President Richard Barr, Vice President Strategic and Organizational Development Eleanor Boyd, Regional Development Director Scott Brabham, Director of Finance Anisia Davis Brown, Data and Quality Associate Jai-Anna Carter, Communication Associate Callie Cox, Development Services Coordinator Kiki Ealey, Organizational and Integration Manager Judy Everett, Grants Writer Marc Himes, Community and Agency Relations Manager Julia Sibley-Jones, Regional Development Director Cindy Kane, Grants Writer Tiffany Major, Senior Program Manager Cristy Marshall, Marketing Manager Matthew Melvin, Project Manager Dawn Pender, Nurse Practitioner and Men’s Health Project Director Dr. Joel Philp, Director of Evaluation and Quality Improvement Brittani Richards, Grants Administrator and Relationship Manager Lyn Rumage, Senior Development Director Tana Vanderbilt, Legal Consultant Marcia Wynn, Grants Writer

2022 Board Members Warren Bolton, Chair Kaela Bailey, Vice Chair Timothy (TJ) Clayton Jr., Treasurer Dr. Walt A. Tobin, Secretary Dr. Arlene Andrews Gettys Brannon Robert H. Brunson Sheldon Cooke Lori Hair Ronald Harvey Davy Hite Thomas C. Keith Susanna H. Krey Patricia Littlejohn Frank Martin Julio Mendoza (Rick) Jon Ozmint Julian A. Ratterree Jr. (Jay) Andy Shain Dr. Dezmond Sumter

Local Organization Leadership Derrick Dease, Man 2 Man Wallace Evans Jr., A Father’s Place Tyrom Faulkner, A Father’s Way Angela McDuffie, Midlands Fatherhood Coalition Johnny Sellers, Upstate Fatherhood Coalition Tom Swanciger, Father to Father

Thank you to our local fatherhood organizations, our staff, and the community members who make this work happen every day. Thank you to our faithful donors, contributors and partners who have supported us for 20 years. Thank you to the new supporters who will join our efforts to end father absence. Printing provided by Spectra Integration

TWENTY FOUR


The Work Continues To End Father Absence Twenty years ago, we set out to prevent poverty and strengthen families by ending father absence. It has been our honor and our passion to be the voice for men who have too often been voiceless. Decades of research proves that fathers matter. We see it every day. We see men from every walk of life overcome seemingly impossible odds in their journey to reconnect and reengage with their children. But we don’t just see their challenges – we see their hearts. We see the deep joy that comes from being the fathers they’ve always wanted to be. And we see the children, the families, and communities that are stronger for it. With your help, we’ll continue this work for years to come. Fathers Matter.

TWENTY FIVE


2711 Middleburg Drive, Suite 115 Columbia, South Carolina 29204 803.227.8800 www.scfathersandfamilies.com


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