Good Fathers Only - Celebrating Good Fathers All Year Round

(By Toya Bryant) July 1, 2009 -This time of year many people are reflecting on the impact that their father did or did not have in their life. In the African American community especially there is a stigma that has resulted from statistics that say the majority of children are raised without the benefit of this significant male family member. Calvin Mann is working to make sure that the focus is shifted to the many men who do exert a positive influence in their children’s lives.

Mr. Mann, a father of three, was raised in a single parent household along with six other siblings and knows the challenges of not having a father in the home. As a basketball coach for fifteen years he and his fellow coaches led their students by encouraging good sportsmanship along with good character. A program called Encourage Me I’m Young (EMIY) was developed to support students by providing words of encouragement and positive role models.

As a father though he saw another need. At the time he purposely only associated with other men that were good fathers to their children. His belief was that good fathers produced good fathers. It was this belief that led to him founding a non-profit organization called Good Fathers Only (GFO) to show appreciation for such men.

He began spreading his message of “Good Fathers Only” by designing an all male clothing line that could be worn like a badge of honor by men that were worthy of it. The effectiveness of this method was discovered when he approached five African American men while distributing GFO shirts. One of the men took one look at the shirt and it’s inspiring words and was forced to acknowledge that he wasn’t a good father and walked away. Calvin Mann felt that this was proof that by raising awareness of this issue he could “change the world one t-shirt at a time”. Since he started GFO his clothing has been worn on the MTV reality show “Run’s House,” the NFL Network as well as on the backs of many deserving men.

Mr. Mann uses community events, public speaking engagements, as well as the Internet to ensure that good fathers everywhere get their due. On the social networking site Twitter he and a partner developed a successful campaign called Good Fathers Follow Friday as a way to identify good fathers of all backgrounds. Through an online mentoring program, EMIY along with GFO connects kids with men who can fill the gap that absent fathers leave. With these efforts once negative statistics could see a positive turn around. Calvin Mann and his message of Good Fathers Only is making sure that men who take their responsibility to heart are recognized not just one time a year, but every day.

To learn more about Encourage Me I’m Young or Good Fathers Only visit:
www.emiyworld.com
www.emiytalk.ning.com
www.twitter.com/goodfathersonly

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