All of South Carolina’s Fathers and Children Deserve to Celebrate this Father’s Day

Father’s Day is a special time of the year.  It is a time to celebrate. It is a time to be thankful.  It is an opportunity to spend time with our fathers or reflect on the memories we have of fathers no longer with us.  Also, as fathers, we can think about those special times we have had with our own children. However, many children will spend this Father’s Day without a dad involved in their lives. An important initiative of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina is to reconnect fathers and their children. In many of South Carolina’s poor communities, the absence of a father in the household is pervasive. Research shows that father absence leads to negative outcomes for children and bears significant social and economic consequences.   

Since 1998, our Foundation has invested more than $18 million to reengage fathers and their children, and help fathers become contributing members of society. Our fatherhood programs around South Carolina support relationship building, job training, GED attainment, child support payment, health access and other important programs and resources that help fathers assimilate back into a productive family life.

Last year, more than 1,700 men were served through the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, an outgrowth of the Foundation’s Fatherhood Initiative.  Of these men, 527 gained employment and an additional 261 men received a better paying job. Nearly one third of these fathers improved their relationship with their child or children.

One extremely important financial statistic is that these fathers paid $1,151,759 in child support payments in 2011 and $188,000 in arrears payments.  Had fatherhood programs not existed for these men, they likely would have landed in jail at great expense to South Carolina taxpayers. This year, 2012, marks the ten-year anniversary of the Foundation’s establishment of the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families. Over the past decade, thousands of men were served throughout state. Thousands of men have entered the workforce and millions of dollars were collected in child support payments. There are no quick fixes or easy answers to a lot of the problems these fathers face. Fatherhood programs through the Center are changing the lives of fathers and children and the results are measurable and successful. 

This is a time in which we express gratitude for our own fathers and for our own children. South Carolinians should also be grateful for programs and services that are provided for those fathers that have very few options and are struggling to meet their parental and financial obligations. Let’s hope that this Father’s Day is special for all of South Carolina’s fathers and their children. They truly deserve it.

Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina.

Father’s Day is a time to reflect on the experiences that many of us have with our fathers and, as fathers, with our own children. However, many children will spend this Father’s day without a dad present in their lives. One of the important initiatives of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina has been to re-engage dads with their children. Often times, circumstances create a complicated dynamic between fathers and their children, particularly in South Carolina’s poor communities. Sine 1998, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina has invested more than $17 million to help reconnect fathers with their children. The Foundation has also assisted fathers in becoming contributing members of society. This is accomplished through multiple fatherhood programs around the state. Program services include support for job training, relationship building, education (acquiring a GED), payment of child support, health access and an array of other areas of support to meet fathers where they most need it.

The statistics are impressive. The South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, an outgrowth of the Foundation's Fatherhood Initiative, reports that more than 1,500 men were served through their programs last year. From that group, 452 gained employment and paid more than $964,000 in child support. Some were even able to pay arrears for past due child support, and more than $179,000 in arrears was collected. Had fatherhood programs not been an option for these men, there is a strong probability that they would have landed in jail which would have cost state taxpayers a significant expense. The South Carolina Supreme Court Justice and many Family Court Judges have embraced the “alternatives to incarceration” concept and Family Court Judges are ordering men to enroll in fatherhood programs. Many of these men attend parenting education classes and most increase the time spent with their child. Several received health screenings and gained access to health care for health issues that previously were untreated, such as hypertension and diabetes.

So as we celebrate Father’s Day in 2011, we have a lot to be grateful for. We are grateful for our own fathers and also for our children. South Carolinians should also be grateful for the programs and services that are being provided for those fathers who have very few options and are struggling to meet their parental and financial obligations. Let’s hope that this Father’s Day is a special one for all of South Carolina’s fathers and their children. They all deserve it.

Tom Keith is the president of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina