May Message from Carol Jackson, Executive Director

Posted May 28, 2021

At Families Matter – Our Families Matter.

The staff members of Families Matter are accustomed to sharing their hearts with men and boys from Memphis, Shelby County and Jackson, Tennessee. Mr. Taylor, Mr. Batson, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Fykes and Mr. Jackson all give participants a secure outlet where transparency occurs and transformation begins. Their educational expertise in breaking down barriers involve them with individuals where tears are shed and barriers are broken. These men, every Monday evening and throughout the week, create safe spaces where men are able to share openly and honestly.

At Families Matter, we are intentional to support the family through education and advocacy – and that involves helping to shape men for the journey of manhood and fatherhood. I have heard these men share with sincerity the steps of becoming a man: 1) Boy, 2) Man, 3) Husband, 4) Father. With sincere intention, they are assisting men in understanding their role within the family structure. The educators enjoy sharing their lives in communities where our associates consider the educational efforts a calling from God rather than just work for pay. The men mentioned above have families and they will tell you “they are not perfect.” However, they have learned from their mistakes and now they choose to share their lives with others, hoping to eliminate unnecessary pain for their families and children. This month, I am dedicating this newsletter to the men who serve boys and men in our class sessions – the men of Families Matter.

May is a month when many families come together to celebrate high school and college graduations. Families Matter fathers, grandfathers and uncles smiled big as they celebrated with their graduates. For that reason, and to say Happy Father’s Day, highlighted below are their special graduates.

Thank you, men of Families Matter, for your participation and wonderful gifting of teaching others from your toolbox of knowledge. Each of you brings something special to the organization and together you are an awesome team. I celebrate and salute you all.

Read our full May newsletter here.

-Carol A. Jackson