SAVE THE DATE
20th Annual Families & Fathers National Conference 2019
March 4th - 7th, 2019 
Hilton Los Angeles Airport
5711 W Century Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90045 
A closing celebration, Thursday, March 7, 2019 6:00p.m. - 11:00p.m. join us here

Mr. Matt Barnes - 2019 Father of the Year National Recipient

Reading the story of strength given to Mr. Barnes from his mother as she modeled perseverance, it is easy to imagine where the fire came from when Matt was playing in for UCLA or in the NBA as well as his passion as a father. Playing in any professional sport is something individuals do and not define who they are for others or their family. When nominated there were discussions about the great love to be the best dad possible. The basketball court was just the beginning for retired NBA Champion Matt Barnes whose 14- year career included roles on the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Clippers to name a few. Having studied History at UCLA, the Sacramento native has entered the investment world as an entrepreneur with a bold vision that pushes all boundaries. Known for a fierce, competitive spirit on the court, Matt is no stranger to a challenge. While navigating the roadblocks of very public life, retirement is just the beginning. His authenticity and compassion set the stage for a compelling story where success belongs to those who give their all. One of Matt's biggest rewards are his sons Carter and Isaiah

Further demonstrating his dedication to improving the lives of others, Matt founded Athletes Vs. Cancer (AVC) in honor of his mother Ann who lost her battle to the disease in 2007. With a mission to provide patients and their families with resources to allow them to fight, AVC partners with research institutions and celebrities to enhance public awareness of innovative treatment methods with the ultimate goal of prevention. 

Community Engagement
Purpose, Passion, Mentoring, and Legacy
Dr. James C. Rodriguez, MSW
7 February 2023

WHY IS HONORING OTHERS IMPORTANT??
JAMES C. RODRIGUEZ

Why Is Honoring Others Important?

When we recognize the impacts of others in the lives they have touched and give them a moment of celebration and recognition they matter, we also receive from giving. By honoring another, you are saying you see great value in them. How do you define honoring another person? What makes a dad more special than a father? Why should we strive to show the nominations and eventually honorees at our international conference to them that we care and that they are essential to us? In the honoring, four crucial questions are answered with millions of moments and memories. When genuinely modeled to others generations, the cornerstones of passion, purpose, mentoring, and devotion are changed because of one person, one leader, one dad, one couple, and a person committed to community service.

Too many amazing people have been invincible.

Community Engagement
Helping The Nexuses of Passion and Purpose
Dr. James C. Rodriguez, MSW
29 January 2023

HOW DOES YOUR PURPOSE AND WHAT THE WORLD NEED MATTER?
JAMES C. RODRIGUEZ

"How does one know if they have been called to do something special?"

I have a big smile on my face as I write this blog. Over the decades, starting as a very young, under 25-year-old single father, I never knew that one day, I would be part of something global. While serving on active duty in the military, I thought  I would do twenty years and then figure it out, especially since I enlisted at 17. Honestly, what 17-year-old or young parent knows their destiny? I am still figuring it out almost thirty years later. However, I understand that neither can truly enjoy life's greatest fulfillment, figuring it out alone. In 2023, with tremendous support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a talented group of more than team members but the lifelong adopted family who started as professionals grew into friendships and now are a collection of adopted fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and yes, that one unique cousin, I am honored to share a new direction for Fathers and Families Coalition. 

High Expectations Combined with Your Best Efforts Equals Success

Fatherhood
Let's Scream
Kenn L. Harris
28 January 2023

LET'S SCREAM FOR FATHER INCLUSION
KENN L. HARRIS

"I scream, you scream…we all scream, 'ice cream'" is a chant I remember growing up.

It is also a chant similar to what we've heard about including fathers in the work with families and communities. The challenge is that historically, this country has a de-valuing for fathers of color. In many policies in family services programs, you'll see that fathers of color have been rendered invisible, considered insignificant, and valueless in their families.

Healthy Relationships
Getting The Most Out Of Healthy Relationships
John Van Epp, Ph.D.,
25 January 2023

MY MISSION
JOHN VAN EPP, PH.D.

I believe that the greatest joys of life and some of our deepest sorrows often flow from our relationships. My counseling career extended over thirty years, most of it while running my private practice in northern Ohio. And without a doubt, most hurting people I counseled had some relationship struggles.

 Around halfway through my years of counseling, I had a growing desire to go upstream, where people seemed to be falling into the proverbial stream of relationship problems. It seemed to me that the majority of relationship issues were caused by either the slow build of unresolved conflicts or the slow leak of neglected needs. However, both could have been either prevented or resolved much earlier to avoid the critical care conditions that walked into my office.

There are many indicators that a couple will succeed in a healthy relationship when both partners lean on each other and support each other during the easy and the difficult times as best friends, building on mutual respect and trust.
Building a Model of Success

We are inviting you to join us for an end-of-year celebration. If you had a tough time in 2022, maybe losses of family, friends, or challenges of adversity. Could you consider taking one-hour for you to be replenished? We are inviting you to the Men2Men Cafe and Women2Women Cafe programs'  last cafe session for 2022 with a time of joy and laughter.

Topic: End of Year Cafe
Time: Dec 17, 2022, 08:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3164735458 

Holistically HEALarious is a holistic company specializing in laughter sessions.  Bringing in laughter therapy will lift up your end of the year. Fathers and Families Coalition of America is honored to host HEALariously healthy environment where laughter is celebrated and viewed positively will create a place of enjoyment. 

I am honored to share the OAR Leadership Institute with my co-host, Dr. Aida Diaz, former President of Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, and our organization's new Vice President, on October 4-6, 2022, at the University of Puerto Rico. I am inviting you to an overview of this program that will include a few samples of the training for Friday, August 5th at 10:30 a.m. EST. 

Learn how the OAR Leadership Program can help you take your organization, leadership, and life to the next level with a brief program overview - on August 5, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. EST using this Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3164735458

Please visit our website for additional details about the program and enrollment process https://fathersandfamiliescoalition.org/programs/oar-leadership-program.html  this page includes a few of the activities in each of the four modules, leadership plan, and executive coaching sessions (post-institute). If you plan on joining, email me which activity you would like to sample for me to select and use during our time together. 

FFCA has trained diverse professionals and contracted by Child Support Services, Child Welfare, Social Services, and Community Action Agencies, as well as grant awards from the State of California Office of Child Abuse Prevention. Ultimately, this is a program of introspectiveness interconnected with inspiration. I am looking forward to sharing this model with you and others.

National Fireside Conversation

June 15, 2022
2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Live Virtual Session

FFCA hosts annual policy-focused sessions and a series during our now internationally attended conference. Attendees from professional fields such as child welfare, early childhood, marriage and family therapists, social work, criminal justice, psychologists, educators, counselors, family service workers, fatherhood practitioners, public policy, foundations, and more! You can join us and give your insights into developing these crucial conversations.

Please join our stakeholder group sign-up form here if you want to be part of essential national policy briefings, cafe sessions, or national conference policy roundtable sessions.

Father's Day week is here, and the Fathers and Families Coalition of America is honored to host a National Fireside Conversation on the Impacts of Policies and Strengthening Families.

We invite you to join our featured speaker, Congressman Danny K. Davis, Il-07, Chair of a crucial sub-committee with the responsibilities of many legislations impacting millions through federally funded programs. 

Friends & Colleagues, 

I was introduced to social work, counseling, youth development services, volunteerism, and more in 1989. I was just two months shy of six years of active duty services in the armed forces when I because a counselor. I was, as they say, "raw" with no experience (academically), but there was something that stirred my spirit to help others. I started my professional career as an army combat medic, and I was involved in many community volunteer programs. However, in 1989, I decided to receive formal training as a substance abuse counselor. Wow, I learned the hard way about what is or not the skills to be the best practitioner. Over thirty years later, I continue in professional development and education to ensure I sharpen my skills and additional resources to share with others. 

Since 1993, I have been so curious about how we can help family service workers in Head Start programs, working with others, we created a 13-college credit course, Family Preservation. The Advanced Practitioner Credential's genesis is in that course with those I respected at Arizona State University, Central Arizona College, and Head Start executives. Since designing the studies in 1994,  I have instructed tens of thousands of professionals, giving away lessons learned and learning from over ninety nations with so many diverse professionals. I am very fortunate to consider myself a teacher, social worker, leader, and colleague who wants to help others go to the next level. 

I want to give a mini introduction to what I believe is a fantastic opportunity for all levels of professionals and, over the years, many parents who have participated in the Advanced Practitioner Credential Course. Over the decades, the spirit of learning and help has advanced but still, deep within my essence, is a desire to be part of something that makes a difference in the lives of others. The instructional design is something I am honored to create. However, the many strategies from founding theorists and practitioners such as Aristotle, Viktor Frankl, Shoma Morita, Shlomo Breznitz, Maria Napoli, even the Art of Flow by Steve Jobs, and many more are incorporated in this unique eleven module opportunity to know you better. 

At the end of 2021, I started the process of a complete transformation of the curricula presented by the Fathers and Families Coalition of America. The three curriculum manuals include: "Unlocking Possibilities Globally, I Am Going Anyway, and Discovering The Best Of You." The depth of these programs is you! When you take these courses, they are not just another lecture or didactic approach to instruction. Yes, there are many research and practicum principles in each module. However, you become the constant knower together as we explore possibilities to help others, starting with ourselves. 

I am sharing great news! Collaboration is a benefit for many stakeholders. In 2022, we have confirmed support for the 23rd Annual Families and Fathers Conference, as of yesterday, from the following:

• The Annie E. Casey Foundation
• First 5 California
• Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving
• Nurturing Fathers Program

The support allows giving a LIMITED amount of discounts for NEW registrations. FFCA will discount 50% off in-person attendees, going from $299 early to $149.50. We will also give a 35% discount for all NEW virtual registrations. The fee from $209 is now $104.50! The conference is a hybrid event with all sessions LIVE and NOT taped like many virtual conferences.

All specialty training programs with NEW enrollment for the Advanced Practitioner Credential, Leadership Institute, and Nurturing Fathers Program will have limited 50% discounted rates because the sponsors are all under $100! Also, we will have simultaneous Spanish interpretation for the Advanced Practitioner Credential and Nurturing Fathers Curriculum Program (NFP Spanish Trainers Manual is Available).

Thank you to our sponsors, faculty, and volunteers because with the support, we can help others attend this fantastic conference well beyond a modest registration rate. The discounts are LIMITED and will end next week!

Discount Code is Sponsors2022

LIVING YOUR LEGACY END OF YEAR CAFÉ FIRESIDE CHAT

Join us on Saturday, December 18th

8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. California Time

Virtual Men2Men and Women2Women Café

CAFÉ FIRESIDE CHAT
Friday, December 17
@ 12:30 to 1:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
Overview of the 23rd Annual Families and Fathers Conference

We have some great plans to complete our conference planning, add some special speakers, and more. Two (2) giveaways will take place during the Zoom Conversation. One person will be given a FREE conference registration. One person will receive a $50.00 gift card. Dr. Chacko Abraham, Jessica Poche, and Dr. James Rodriguez sit down to discuss and provide a meaningful overview of the 23rd annual conference.

Topic: Open Overview of 23rd Conference
Time: Dec 17, 2021 12:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88175102328?pwd=Y29NQnB1YURPN2RCbXBtNTZWZ3ljdz09

Meeting ID: 881 7510 2328
Passcode: 218485
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