Our Commitment to Dads
Terence Ray, Director of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative

“There were times when we were broke and I knew it. Dad found a way to sacrifice a quarter for me. I must keep that natural circle of love going around for my own son.”
Gregory Hines, November 1993

Many can relate to the above quote. Being a father has to do with love, respect and sacrifice, and that is the cornerstone on which the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative was built. The Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative is committed to recognizing, celebrating and honoring dads and the role of dads in the lives of our children—our future generation.

Being a dad is an awesome task and responsibility but, at the same time, it can be one of the greatest rewards in life. There are so many uncelebrated dads who, on a daily basis, take on the role of dad—doing the right thing, making the sacrifices, being the role models, healing and encouraging the spirits of young people, because they are committed to their children and committed to helping them grow up to become strong, productive citizens.

There are also those dads who have readily stepped in to take on the role of dad with children not related to them by blood, but who have enough love and foresight to understand the significant impact men can have on the lives of children. They are our unsung heroes.

The Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative was formed to address, respond to, celebrate and challenge dads from every walk of life—from the dad who works three jobs to support his family, to the highly recognized celebrity who gives regular “shout outs” to dad, to the dad who is downtrodden and needs help to secure his place in the home and heart of his kids. Though we speak often of fatherlessness, we are mindful that every day there are so many dads who are doing the right thing, pushing the right buttons in their kids, and taking on the Herculean responsibility and challenge of being dad.

The Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative embraces every dad, recognizing that children don’t come with manuals, and that each of us is trying to figure it out. Some of us have powerful testimonies of success, others struggle, and some give up and walk away. Our commitment, though, is to make sure our children have strong, caring men to step up and, sometimes, step in, to let our children know we care. We hope to accomplish this by being a one-stop resource for fathers.

My personal commitment to this initiative and to the men—the fathers—in this community, is to “keep that circle of love going.”