Community Gathers to Recognize Local Fathers

On Saturday, June 14th in honor of Father's Day, more than 100 fathers in the San Bernardino County came to Westside Kinship Center for the 3rd Annual Supporting Fathers Involvement Breakfast. Damian Wright works for Children and Family Services and helped organize and make this event happen. Randall Schulz, Diana Alexander, and Jonathan Byers talked about the importance of getting fathers engaged and being a part of their children's life. Randall Schulz is the Director for Children and Family Services and Jonathan Byers is Deputy Director for Children and Family Services. They believe that it is important to celebrate and support fathers in our communities. Diana Alexander, Director for Preschool Services, talked about her experience growing up and that out of her siblings she was the one that grew up with both a mother and father, whereas her siblings did not. She stated that they grew up with drug addictions. She saw the importance of having the love of both parents. Engaging fathers do make a difference. This event was to recognize fathers and inspire them to continue to make an impact to their children. Pastor Clyde Stewart, the Director of Case Management for Westside Kinship Support Services, mentioned how he supports this event and finds that, "Fatherhood is close to our hearts." Before the free breakfast, companies such as Molina, Volunteers of America, Westside Kinship Support Services Program, and others came to table and provide resources for individuals and families.