Ten Years of Fatherhood

It is hard to believe that it has been ten years since the beginning of the Fatherhood Initiative by the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina. Back in December of 1998, little was being done around this issue, but the need was great.

The plight of low-income fathers in South Carolina has been an overwhelming problem in many different ways. It is pervasive throughout the state in both rural and urban areas. From the onset, one of the biggest challenges was earning the trust of fathers. Their sense of hopelessness and despair and the magnitude of their problems were almost too big to handle. However, one by one, thousands of fathers have come forward and participated in a fatherhood program. They have learned how to deal with anger management issues, how to find a job, how to deal with legal problems and how to be more responsible fathers and contributing members of society.

While there hasn’t been a 100% success rate, there have been a huge number of accomplishments. It has not only contributed in a positive fashion to our economy, but has also reduced the traffic in our courts and jails. These programs are far from perfect and some fathers just can’t get things turned around, but many of them do, and these fathers make the Initiative worthwhile.

The exciting and rewarding part of all of this is that thousands of children now have an active father in their lives. Dads are there for their kids at school events, sporting events, church activities and, of course, birthdays. Living in poverty is bad enough but living in poverty without your father or without your children is much worse. So, congratulations to everyone involved in ten years of success with the Fatherhood Initiative in South Carolina. The journey has been complex but the rewards have been great.

Tom Keith is the executive director of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina.