RECOGNITION OF THE FATHER PROJECT

Media Stores about the FATHER Project
Program of the Year Award
Highlighted as a Promising Practice
Presentations at Conferences

Media Stories about the FATHER Project

FATHER Project Rochester Video

Father Project in the City of Brooklyn Center (Channel 12, October 12, 2012)

Program Offers Support to Fathers (St. Cloud Times, July 2012)

Ultimate Goal: To Be a Father (Rochester Post Bulletin, June 2012)

A Blessing for a Father (Star Tribune, June 2012)

The FATHER Project Expands to Rochester (KTTC, June 2012)

New FATHER Project Expands in MN (KSTP News, March 2012)

$1.7M Grant to Triple ‘The Father Project’ in MN (KSTP News, November 2011)

Watch an extended interview with Andrew Freeberg, Director of The Father Project. (KSTP News, November 2011)

The above video is an excerpt from a longer video about responsible fatherhood in Minnesota. The video was released by the McKnight Foundation and produced by Diversified Media Resources.

Father Project Continues to Expand, www.myfoxtwincities.com

Bringing young men and their children together | Minneapolis and St. Paul | kare11.com

The FATHER Project: Program empowers disadvantaged dad

Minnesota Spokesman Recorder, June 8, 2011

Program of the Year Award

In January 2010, the Minnesota Fathers and Families Network presented the FATHER Project with their Program of the Year award. The press release about the award states:

“A highly innovative program formed in Minneapolis in 1999, the FATHER Project offers
services for low-income dads to help them support their children financially, emotionally and physically. Through
individualized case management, the program offers holistic services in fatherhood skills development,
employment and training, child support services, family law, and GED completion. Staff served 380 fathers in
2009 with 229 of those representing new starts who completed the comprehensive enrollment process. The
FATHER Project brings together some of the best services, partners and staff to create an exceptional
experience for the fathers and families who enter its doors.”

Highlighted as a Promising Practice

The FATHER Project team at St. Joseph’s Area Health Services in Park Rapids, MN received a 2013 Community Health Award from the Minnesota Department of Health for outstanding contributions to the state’s public health system.

The National Fatherhood Initiative featured the FATHER Project as a case study in its 2012 guide, “Creating an Alumni Program for Graduates of a Fatherhood Program.”

Members of the federal Office of Family Assistance (OFA) Training and Technical Assistance Team conducted a site visit to the FATHER Project on August 20-21 to gather promising strategies, lessons learned, and to observe services in action related to the employment services.

Guy Bowling, the FATHER Project Program Manager, was one of the 2012 Spirit of Fatherhood Hall of Fame inductees at the the 14th Annual International Fatherhood Conference. Guy received the Ronald F. Johnson Award.

Guy Bowling was also selected to participate in the first cohort of the National Practitioners Leadership Institute in October 2012, a national initiative designed to improve outcomes for low-income fathers and families by strengthening the capacity of the responsible fatherhood, family strengthening and black male achievement fields.

Congresswoman Betty McCollum visited the FATHER Project in March, 2012, to celebrate the expansion of the program to St. Paul.

“Creating an Alumni Program for Graduates of a Fatherhood Program: A Guide with Tips and Advice.” National Fathehood Initiative. 2012. The Father Project was featured as a case study in this guide.

Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson visited the FATHER Project in December 2011 and highlighted the FATHER Project as a “signature initiative” of the DHS.

St. Joseph’s Area Health Services article about implementing the FATHER Project in Park Rapids, Minnesota .

The Federal Office of Child Support describes that FATHER Project’s strategy and results for father engagement in their fact sheet, “Engagement of Fathers from Birth.“

The Carolyn Foundation featured the FATHER Project in their grantee spotlight..

The Welfare Peer Technical Assistance Network highlights the FATHER Project as an “Innovative Practice” in its online directory of Healthy Family initiatives.

In 2011, the FATHER Project was selected by the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) as one of two grantees nationally to be featured in a documentary film, demonstrating the impact of Responsible Fatherhood programs.

In 2011, the Office of Family Assistance also selected the FATHER Project as one of four grantees nationally to be featured in site exchange visits. In March of 2011, OFA coordinated a two day visit
to the FATHER Project for leaders from OFA and other Responsible Fatherhood programs.

In 2010, the FATHER Project was highlighted in the publication, “How to Implement Promising Practices,” a guide about responsible fatherhood programs. The guide was published by the Office of Family Assistance, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The document highlights promising practices of the FATHER Project in the areas of Recruitment, Retention, and Partnerships:

Recruitment and Retention:
“Goodwill Industries of Minnesota recruits high-achieving fathers (dadvocates) to deliver presentations through radio stations, schools, social service organizations, health fairs, and jail settings. These dads have the opportunity to help others based on what they have learned.”

“Goodwill Industries of Minnesota has developed an alumni group of former participants who want to give back to the organization. Five of these individuals have received peer-to-peer training and help with program outreach.”

Partnerships
“While some grantees have one-stop centers, others link to existing programs in the community. Goodwill Industries of Minnesota partners with Minneapolis Public Schools for GED assistance and with Early Childhood Family Education on child development, school readiness, and relationships with parents. Other partnerships help address paternity and court issues and housing, since Goodwill subsidizes transitional housing for up to two years.”

Presentations at Conferences

A sample of presentations about the FATHER Project at conferences:

National Responsible Fatherhood Center Twitter Town Hall
June 26, 2013
Presenters: Andrew Freeberg from the FATHER Project, Joe Johnson, Center for Urban Families, and Nigel Vann, National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse

Office of Family Assistance Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Annual Grantee Conference
June 25-27, 2013
“What Have We Learned?” Presenters included Guy Bowling, FATHER Project Manager
“Using Data and Documentation to Increase Program Outcomes and to Improve the Lives of your Clients” Presenters included Andrew Freeberg, FATHER Project Director

“Changing the Lives of Dad and their Children: The FATHER Project and Mind the Gap”
Minnesota Family Support and Recovery Council Conference
September 23, 2012
Presenters:  Guy Bowling, David Mirambeaux, and participants from the FATHER Project with Lori Lofrano from the MN DOC and Cindy Steinberg from the MN Child Support Enforcement Division

“Promoting Responsible Fatherhood: Helping to Ensure Children Receive the Emotional and Financial Support They Need”
National Child Support Enforcement Association Conference
July 31, 2012
Presenters: David Mirambeaux from the FATHER Project with Cindy Steinberg and Melissa Froehle

“Telling the Story: Documenting and Disseminating Stories of Program Success”
National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC)Technical Assistance Webinar
Tuesday June 21, 2011
Presenters: Andrew Freeberg, FATHER Project and Diane Hammon Kellegrew, Strategies Fatherhood Initiative

“The Citizen Father Project: Fathers Leading Positive Change in Communities”
13th Annual International Fatherhood Conference
June 8-11, 2011
Arlington, VA
Presenter: Guy Bowling

“Lessons for Life: The Untold Story of Fatherhood, Marriage and Relationship Education”
Plenary Session featuring the first of four Lessons for Life: The Untold Story of Fatherhood, Marriage and Relationship Education videos produced this year documenting the successes of selected Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood programs as well as the successes achieved by their participants.
2011 Office of Family Assistance Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Marriage Grantee Conference
May 4, 2011, Washington D.C.
Presenters: Guy Bowling and Michelle Bell from the FATHER Project, and others

“Fatherhood 101”
Exploring the journey of responsible fatherhood, strategies to help the fathers and families you serve, data on Minnesota dads, trends in father involvement, and how you can influence the future of fathering.
2011 Minnesota Fatherhood & Family Services Summit
January 24 – 25, 2011, St. Cloud, MN
Presenters: Joe Kelly, Fathering Educator, The Emily Program, St. Paul; R. Clarence Jones, M.Ed., Outreach Director, Q Health Connections, Minneapolis; Carmen Otero, Latino Father Advocate/Case Manager, CLUES / The FATHER Project

“The Vital Role of Women in the Fatherhood Field”
From the inception of modern fatherhood programming women have played a vital role in successful fatherhood initiatives. Hear from a panel of experts on why we need women in the field, how women can overcome barriers in their work with fathers, and leadership approaches that can create a win-win for men and women in the field.
2011 Minnesota Fatherhood & Family Services Summit
January 24 – 25, 2011, St. Cloud, MN
Presenters: Michelle Bell, Program Coordinator, The FATHER Project / Goodwill-Easter Seals Minnesota; Jacqelyn Boggess, Co-Director of Center for Family Policy (Madison, WI); Velura Peterson, Teen Parent Social Worker, St. Louis County Health and Human Services; Randell Turner, Ph.D., Senior Associate, Child and FAmily Therapist, Pennsylvania Counseling Services, Consultant with ICF International.

“Getting to Outcomes–Three Case Studies of Programs Serving Fathers”
Learn the basics you need to know about evaluation, and then hear from three different programs from diverse agencies working with fathers across the state as they freely share their evaluation models and tools.
2011 Minnesota Fatherhood & Family Services Summit
January 24 – 25, 2011, St. Cloud, MN
Presneters: Andrew Freeberg, Britney Rosenau, Graduate Student, Maternal and Child Health, University of Minnesota; Elvin Braman, Systems Navigator, Chisago County Health & Human Services; Ebony Ruhland, Director of Research and Evaluation, Council on Crime and Justice.

“Child Support and Fatherhood Programs – Making a Positive Connection”
A webinar presented by the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement to “present two local models of succcesful child support and fatherhood program collaboration.
August 5, 2010
Presenters included: Guy Bowling and Andrew Freeberg, FATHER Project, and Barry Bloomgren and Karen Standemo, Hennpin County Child Support.

“The FATHER Project:  A Model of Successful Partnerships to Provide a Continuum of Services”

Region 5 Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Round Table Conference
July 14, 2010, Minneapolis, MN
Presenters: Guy Bowling and Andrew Freeberg

“Fatherhood Matters: Innovative Initiatives on the Fatherhood Front”
Eastern Regional Interstate Child Supports Association 47th Annual  Training Conference (ERICSA)
May 2-4, 2010, Lexington, KY
Presenter: Guy Bowling

Roundtable discussion on how policy impacts direct services to low-income men
Fatherhood Programs: Policy, Practice and Politics
The Center for Family Policy and Practice

April 28th, 2010, Chicago, IL
Participating: Guy Bowling and 25 other practitioners from various U.S cities working with low-income fathers

“Co-Parent Court: A new Hennepin County Initiative for Low-Income, Unmarried Parents”
31st Annual Family Law Institute

March 23, 2010, St.Paul, MN
Presenters, Judge Bruce Peterson, Rose Allen, Guy Bowling, Charles Caine, Damian Winfield

“Responsible Fatherhood Panel—Panel of Young Fathers: Standing Up and Stepping Up”
Strong Practices, Bright Promises: Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Conference
Administration for Children and Families,
Office of Family Assistance
August   11, 2009, Washington, DC
Presenters: Guy Bowling and the following FATHER Project participants: Charles Caine, Gerome Keaton, Jose Ruacho, and Conway Redbear

“Leveraging Public Dollars: Lessons from the Healthy Relationships/Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Initiatives” 
Grantmakers for Children, Youth, and Families Conference
October 16, 2008, Chicago, IL
Presenters:
Andrew Freeberg, FATHER Project and Joe Jones, Center for Urban Families, Baltimore MD

“Monitoring Engagement and Participation:  Building Blocks for Evaluation”
Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Grantees Conference, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance
August 12, 2008, Washington, DC
Presenter:  Andrew Freeberg, FATHER Project

“Building Communities Through Strengthening Families”
Goodwill Industries International 2008 Spring Learning Event
May 7, 2008, Albuquerque, NM
Presenters: Guy Bowling, FATHER Project and Sanzanna Lolis, Director of Youth Services, Goodwill Industries of Central Arizona

“Strategies to Help Low Income Families”
Minnesota Family Support and Recovery Council 34th Annual Conference
October 9, 2007, Brainerd, MN
Panel including Andrew Freeberg and Guy Bowling from the FATHER Project