My name is Doug Goulding, and I am in my third year serving as lead coach, program coordinator, community engagement specialist and father advocate for the Go F.A.R program, which is the fathers’ Initiative at New Destiny. Every month, our Go F.A.R Father’s Initiative hosts a bonding event for fathers, father figures and their children. We do this because we believe that the more time fathers and father figures spend in healthy interaction with their children, the stronger and healthier the family unit will be. These activities improve the physical, emotional, and mental health of fathers, father figures and their children.
On Sunday, July 28, 2024, we held our monthly dad and child bonding event, and our theme was “Learning together and Playing together.” The event was hosted at the Eastside Park Tennis Center in Paterson, NJ. Dads and children were learning how to play tennis and had so much fun. We had over 50 people attend (fathers and children). To see fathers learning, engaging, and sharing quality time with their kids, brought my volunteers, staff and myself joy in real-time.
At the end of our time together, I asked the dads and the children if they enjoyed the event and the response was overwhelming, YES!!!!!
But that is not all, one of the dads who participated in the July activity with their children was so impacted by the event, that he asked if I could meet with him and his three daughters again soon. Two days later, on Tuesday, July 30, I met with him and his daughters, and to my amazement he brought another dad and his children who did not attend our event on Sunday August 28. He wanted them to experience what he and his children had experienced. The Go F.A.R Father’s Initiative fever is spreading, and the dads we serve are the ones telling other fathers about it through their firsthand experiences with the program. One dad said, “this was good,” another pointed out, “this is amazing, will you continue this?” and still another expressed, “I did not know they had something this good going on around here.”
Go F.A.R (Fathers Advancing and Reconnecting) Fathers Initiative holds firmly to the belief that, “With Fathers, our children go farther”!