Fathers Being Involved : A Prominent Place In Kids Lives
By Mary Meldrum
The brain-child of Oak Park resident Doug Craig, the nonprofit organization Fathers Being Involved, was launched in Pepper Elementary in September of 2015. Craig’s previous involvement with a fatherhood organization in Detroit at the Children’s Center led him to recognize that there was a missing fatherhood component, when he enrolled his son in kindergarten in Oak Park. Doug Craig asked Principal Emanuel Haley if he knew of any structured fatherhood initiatives in Oak Park. Haley’s reaction conveyed that Craig’s timing
was very good.
“Mr. Craig, just last night I had five mothers who have children with discipline issues who approached me for help. I can’t do this by myself,” said Haley. “Yes, I need your support.” That was all Craig needed, and he fired up a plan to connect people with purpose. “I work in divine purpose, and every time I work with this drive it works out perfectly in the right moment,” shared Craig.
DOUG CRAIG EVOLVED FROM a marketing director in the music industry to connect fathers with their children. He does this by connecting them with the Oak Park schools and within the community. Fathers Being Involved (FBI for short) has attracted approximately 280 fathers since its inception. Their mission is to create stronger fathers, stronger families, and stronger communities.
Fathers Being Involved is partnered with schools to help create a safer and more positive overall school environment. They also look to expose students to positive images and actions of men. They do this by encouraging fathers to play a more active role in their child’s education. They also help fathers find ways to support the efforts of teachers.
Craig serves as the Executive Director and co-founder of the FBI organization, and acts as the outreach spokesperson. He also serves as co-chair of the Wayne County System of Care Community Outreach where they reach out to various cultures. Craig sees the fatherhood piece in need of support and reinforcement in every culture in Detroit.
Craig gives big praise to the City of Oak Park –and in particular, Mayor Marian McClellan – and Mr. Haley of Pepper Elementary for the spirit and the early insight to ignite a fatherhood organization that supports and promotes its members. Because of the success of the FBI program in Oak Park, Craig reports that they are initiating a pilot program with Detroit Public Schools, as well as a couple of charter schools.
Oak Park is the heart and center of this operation; every-thing for the FBI program is birthed out of the city. In conjunction with the FBI initiatives, Craig is looking into having Oak Park host a fatherhood festival this coming Summer.
ONE OF THE GREAT SUCCESSES for Fathers Being Involved program is an event called the “Morning Roll & Go.” Men are stationed outside Pepper Elementary school in the morning, opening doors for women and children. Church Street, next to the school, was a congested raceway in the morning and afternoon. The fathers help with the traffic flow on Church Street. Fathers take the lead role in demonstrating how to be gentlemen.
They model good behavior, organize, and keep things moving along. Their presence calms the chaos and puts extra adult eyes and ears amongst the children adding a layer of security in the school drop off-process.
Fathers in the Morning Roll & Go interact with the kids. They ask about and encourage kids to achieve grades and complete homework; often stepping in to be the “community father” for all the children. They genuinely invest in the children and show them how to be little ladies and gentlemen.
Fathers Being Involved also get involved with the discipline of the troublemakers and encourage all the children to go forth in their day with upbeat attitude and self-esteem. Craig himself had conversations with one parent about vulgar rap music playing in their car that set their children up for disrespectful behavior and failure. He was so successful in explaining how rap lyrics create a bad attitude in children that the father not only changed the music choice, he also joined the FBI.
THE BOTTOM LINE FOR Fathers Being Involved is creating a prominent place for fathers in their children’s lives where they are seen and valued. Craig has frequently observed that men will see something and talk about something, but few men will do anything about it. He says that once a man is respected in a space, he feels like he is making a difference and becomes a leader in that space.
“We have to condition these children to respect themselves, respect adults, and to respect their community so that five years down the road when they are in high school they will be disciplined, and prayerfully, more academically accomplished,” proposes Craig.
Fathers Being Involved also encourages fathers to be attentive to their health and be a role model for their children. FBI is working on a monthly feature where a father talks about his career to inspire the kids. They are also working on a program to have fathers come in and read to the children.
The Michigan Fatherhood Alliance has asked Doug Craig to be part of their restructuring. His initiatives have grown from one elementary school to the whole Oak Park Public School system. He is now being invited to carry his programs and events through to other schools in other cities.
Craig credits the City of Oak Park for the organic growth of the FBI organization. He cites the public response, the neighborhoods, and the inclusive spirit of the people for his successful fatherhood initiative.
