Rev. James Redd, father of Milwaukee Bucks’ Michael Redd to keynote
October 12th Kick-Off Reception

MILWAUKEE, WI—On Friday and Saturday, October 12 and 13, 2007 the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative will bring together more than 1200 fathers, social service providers and community leaders to gather during a weekend-long, city-wide summit aimed at identifying ways to get men to proactively embrace their role as fathers. Milwaukee’s 2nd Annual Fatherhood Summit will be held at Destiny Plaza, located at 7246 N. 76th Street

The event kicks off on Friday, October 12th with a community job fair from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and the day will conclude with a reception and grandfather’s tribute hosted by The Milwaukee Bucks at 5:30 p.m. at Destiny Plaza. Rev. James Redd, father of Milwaukee Buck’s Michael Redd, and new grandfather, will provide remarks during the celebration. Everyone attending the kick-off reception will receive a free ticket to the Milwaukee Buck’s game on Saturday, October 13th.

During Saturday’s summit a variety of breakout sessions will be held with topics ranging from mental health and depression, to hip-hop and its affect on fatherhood, to co-parenting and living apart. The Center for Driving and Employability will be on hand as part of the drivers’ license recovery program. Also fathers who attend the workshop and owe back child support to the State of Wisconsin may qualify to receive a credit toward interest owed on back child support.

At lunchtime, Dr. Michael Bell, a nationally acclaimed psychiatrist and neurologist will deliver the keynote and address mental health issues men need to face to become better dads. Dr. Bell has received national recognition for his teaching, publications and clinical work in depression, receiving the Annual E.Y. Williams Clinical Scholars of Distinction Award in 2004 by the National Medical Association and was listed in May 2007 as one of America's Top Psychiatrists by the Consumers' Research Council of America. October 13th wraps up with a Town Hall discussion featuring panelist representing all segments of government and community regarding child support’s impact on the role of fathers.

The overall objectives of the summit are to empower the latent strength in families and the community, and to create a multi-level initiative that builds and supports Milwaukee’s men as they work to become better fathers. “Responsible fatherhood is an issue and opportunity that crosses cultural, political, geographic and economic lines in our city,” said Terence Ray, Chair of the Planning Committee. “Involved fathers can strengthen Milwaukee’s children, families and, thus, the community as a whole for generations to come.”

The mission of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative is to address, respond to, celebrate and challenge dads from every walk of life to get engaged, involved and stay committed to their children and to protect and preserve the family unit. The mission will be achieved through engaging all sectors of society – business, healthcare, civic, philanthropic, social services, media, government, education and faith in positively promoting responsible fatherhood. For media interviews please contact Johnna Scott at 414-704-9031.