May Message from Executive Director Carol Jackson
Posted June 6, 2025
| May has come and gone. We celebrated with our mothers while traveling to graduations for children and grandchildren. We had end-of-school parties, and many parents cried as their children graduated from high school with the possibility of entering college in another city in the fall. We saw an abundance of flowers in grocery stores, and 1-800 FLOWERS were overwhelmed with deliveries that could not be made in time for Mother’s Day. Marketing for Mother’s Day was plentiful, encouraging, and inspiring, while seizing the attention of children and husbands not to forget about Mother’s Day deliberately.
We must celebrate Father’s Day in June – Happy Father’s Day! Recently, I took an unofficial poll at my neighborhood grocery store, and noticed something interesting. The Father’s Day cards were in a noticeably unfamiliar place where mothers usually shop. However, there was no ambiance associated with Father’s Day cards. In contrast, the Mother’s Day cards were abundant. The flower arrangements were so large that the store had to place flowers by the registers and down store aisles. The colors were magnificent and plentiful. According to a recent article, Father’s Day is an afterthought. The author writes that spending on “Dear ole Dad” will surge to an estimated $16 billion this year, compared to $25 billion for Moms. Whereas there is an increase in spending for dads, the economic impact for mothers still far outweighs that of Dads. The good news is that time is changing this paradigm, and there is a sincere push to change the current trajectory for fathers. Recently, team members from Families Matter attended a Fatherhood conference in Bethesda, Maryland where the theme was “Father’s Matter”. Does that sound familiar? Remember, we are Families Matter, and it is our intention to focus on fathers. This has been Families Matter‘s focus for over 15 years now, and it is encouraging to see others recognizing the importance of fathers in their children’s lives. Families Matter AFIRM (A Father’s Involvement Really Matters) participated in the conference. Sharing our accomplishments led other participants to seek solutions to their challenges concerning male participation in Fatherhood programs. It was an honor to communicate lessons we have learned from participating fathers whom we have vigorously worked with to understand their value as a cherished and an essential part of their children’s lives. |
We are proud to announce that a Families Matter team member and terrific father, Lawrence Johnson, was named a “2025 Favorite Father” at the 27th Annual International Father and Family Practitioners Conference in Washington, DC. Congratulations, Mr. Johnson, on being inducted into this prestigious group of fathers! This recognition was presented by Dr. Jeffery Johnson, president and CEO of the National Partnership for Community Leadership. |
| We are looking forward to the following events where fathers will be celebrated in the month of June.
On June 10th, Families Matter AFIRM will celebrate its 21st graduation, during which fathers and their families will be recognized and celebrated. *See graduation advertisement. On June 11th, Families Matter AFIRM will host a meeting of Juvenile Court Stakeholders. During this meeting, Families Matter AFIRM will highlight its program with our own speakers being highlighted. On June 12th, we invite current and past graduates of Families Matter AFIRM to participate with us as Commissioner Charlie Caswell recognizes fathers that have made the commitment to grow their involvement in their children’s lives. *Please see the advertisement below. Families Matter will participate in the HEART & SOUL event sponsored by Baptist Memorial Health Care on June 21. *See advertisement.
Attention all fathers! You matter. You matter to your families. And you matter to us. Thank you for allowing Families Matter programs to be a positive influence in your life. We pray that you have increased your knowledge and gained valuable experience during your time with us. We continue to support your endeavors to be the father you desire to be and your children need you to be. We hope you had an incredibly Happy Father’s Day! |
| Sincerely,
Carol A. Jackson Executive Director |