KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A local organization is working to fill a gap in services specifically designed for fathers in the Kalamazoo area.
The Fatherhood Network, a nonprofit focused on supporting dads, has helped at least 45 fathers this year alone. The organization provides resources and assistance to help fathers maintain or regain relationships with their children.
WATCH: Nonprofit supports dads reconnecting with their kids
"I always ask this question, when I'm meeting with a group. I ask them to name a program that is specifically tailored or focuses on fathers. I see how many they can name. Often times, it's zero," said Derek Miller, director of operations for the Fatherhood Network.
William Stewart is one father who received help from the organization. He now has custody of his children after working with the Fatherhood Network.
"By them helping me with lawyers…went to court, eventually got my kids. They're doing better now. They're getting A's in school. I just want to give them a better life, to where they can be their own person," Stewart said.
According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, 1 in 4 children nationwide live without a father figure in the home. The organization says active fathers can improve outcomes in children's lives in multiple ways, including cognitive skills, reading and self-esteem, while reducing the risk of poor birth outcomes, poverty and food insecurity.
For Stewart, the impact has been personal and trans-formative.
"It changed me a whole lot. I think it's very important, because like, they're my children. So it's like, that's my other half. They need to know who I am, and know that I love them, and that I want the best for them," Stewart said.
Miller emphasized that the Fatherhood Network's mission is not to compete with programs for mothers, but to address a specific gap in available services.
"The Fatherhood Network is not here about like, trying to compete with mothers, or women and children, or anything like that. We want those services here. But when you cannot name one program that's for fathers, that is an issue," Miller said.
The organization takes a collaborative approach with the fathers they serve.
"The father program, they talked to me. They said, we'll work with you, and look at things from a different angle," Stewart said.
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