The Fathers’ Support Center of St. Louis recently held its annual A Toast to Fathers Awards Dinner at Windows on Washington in downtown St. Louis. The annual dinner recognizes the agency’s impact within the community and individual accomplishments and raises funds, said dinner chair Timothy Slater. Over 300 people attended this year’s dinner, which netted $130,000, exceeding last year’s total of $101,000.
Slater serves as New Horizons president and a member of the Fathers’ Support Center (FSC) Board of Directors. The problem of non-involved fathers is destructive, Slater said.
“FSC is the only organization in St. Louis, and one of only a few nationally, that has successfully provided programs and services to improve the lives of children by giving them actively involved fathers,” he said.
This year, through a partnership with FOX 2, the public voted for who they thought should win the coveted Father of the Year Award, which went to single dad Marvin Davis.
“I am overwhelmed,” Davis said during his acceptance speech. “All my tears are in the bathroom. So if anyone slipped in the men’s bathroom, those are my tears.”
Davis was referred to FSC by a friend back in 2011. He credits the program with teaching him how to be a better father on many levels – how to discipline, develop a friendship with his child, and talk “to” and not “at” his son. He said FSC staff member Barbara Graham was understanding, encouraging, and “never let up on me.”
FSC staff member Reginald Slaughter also left an impression on Davis. “When he instructed the class, he didn’t play,” Davis said. “He was almost like a drill sergeant. As a single father, he was a good role model to me.”
Davis has full custody of his 12-year-old son, Markel. He wants to ensure that his son has a better relationship with his parent than he had with his own parents as a child.
Davis has a message for the other Father of the Year nominees. “You, too, are Father of the Year,” Davis said. “I would encourage them to keep their heads up.”
China Jackson, 17, was honored for her leadership qualities with this year’s Youth of the Year award. The FSC’s Youth Leadership & Development program was established to combat “negative activities that we saw our parents involved in,” said Halbert Sullivan, FSC president and CEO.
“China is a leader because she makes her own path,” said Kiana J. Joyce, China’s youth mentor at the FSC. “She is determined to get the result that she is looking for, and she won’t give up.”
When it came time for China to make her acceptance speech, Joyce followed her mentee up to the podium. Like a proud mom, Joyce stood nearby taking photos with her cell phone.
“I was definitely overjoyed to see her up there,” Joyce said. “I was just trying to keep it together.”
China enrolled in the program through a referral from the state’s Division of Youth Services. China said the FSC helped her stay out of trouble and she now has a new job. After completing her prerequisites at a community college, she plans to study nursing at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The FSC also awarded its Community Champions Award to Ron and Cheri Fromm, co-chairs of the 2013 United Way of Greater St. Louis. The FSC, a United Way-supported agency, is a model for the United Way’s commitment to “giving a hand up, versus giving a hand out,” Ron Fromm said.
The FSC has impacted nearly 11,000 fathers and 26,000 children over the past 16 years, according to the organization. Much of the funding for the organization comes from grants that are earmarked for specific programs, said FSC Board Treasurer Ray Hemann.
For more information on FSC, call 314-333-4170 or visit fatherssupportcenter.org.
Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil.
