More than 130 fathers and children gathered on June 13, 2015 for the annual Dads Expo, a celebration of the vital contribution that fathers make to their children’s lives.
The attendees were a diverse group, including white, African American and Latino men. This year's event was held at the Indiana Children's Bereau and focused on providing resources to fathers as well as fun and games for the youth in attendance. Every participant was given a raffle ticket upon arrival at the Expo and prizes.
Contact information was collected from every parent in order to pass along information about upcoming parenting events and additional resources that they can utilize to improve the lives of their families including: education initiatives, re-entry programs, technology programs, health initiatives, etc..
The goal from previous Expos to facilitate collaboration beyond the event itself has been achieved with the establishment of the Indiana Coalition on Fatherhood (ICOF). ICOF is dedicated to the advancement of all fathers in Indiana. ICOF plans to achieve serving fathers by providing resources, best practices and identifying funding or grant opportunities to benefit dads.
As with the previous expos the 2015 Dads Expo:
- Worked to increase the productive role of fathers
- Increase the public awareness of the importance of fathers in the positive development of their children
- Increase the ability of fathers to be more effective parents through education and bonding
- Facilitate cooperation between the many local and state organizations working to assist fathers
Click here for ICSSBM images from the 2015 Dad's Expo.