Ohio Nonprofit Develops Innovative Tool for Father Engagement - by Reverend Eli Williams

I likely don’t have to tell you that engaging men in programming is challenging. The reasons are varied and complex. Many fathers face personal obstacles like unemployment, substance abuse, mental health issues, or incarceration, which can make participating in services difficult. Not all fathers understand the benefits of engagement or may feel discouraged due to negative past experiences with social services. Traditional gender roles can create a perception that mothers are the primary caregivers, discouraging fathers from seeking help or asserting their role.

Add to those reasons the institutional barriers that persist. Unconscious biases towards fathers, particularly fathers of color or with disadvantaged backgrounds, can lead to exclusion and unfair treatment. Agencies may struggle to allocate enough staff, funding, and training to engage fathers with diverse needs effectively. Services are often geared towards mothers as primary caregivers, making fathers feel unwelcome or unable to access relevant support. Scheduling conflicts, transportation issues, and childcare difficulties can prevent fathers from attending appointments or participating in programs. All of that is not to mention the challenges of identifying and locating fathers, building trust and rapport, one-size-fits-all approaches, and the lack of sustainability of father-focused programs and organizations.

With this challenge in mind, Urban Light Ministries, based in Springfield, Ohio, has created an innovative approach to addressing the challenge of father engagement.  Realizing that smartphones have become the strongest tool for communication, with 85% of all U.S. adults owning one, it made sense to use these tools for father engagement. The nonprofit’s founder and director, Reverend Eli Williams, also a longtime member of the OPNFF board, teamed up with marketing and Internet technologies expert Bruce Stapleton to create a website and mobile platform to enable fathers to connect and form mutually supportive virtual communities. In 2019, just before the COVID-19 global pandemic, Williams, a veteran fatherhood practitioner and author of the book Father Love – The Powerful Resource Every Child Needs, recognized the need to go virtual to reach more fathers. Stapleton, a volunteer and later the chair of the Urban Light board, provided the know-how. 

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