Dad’s Play Day a success

On Saturday, June 13, more than 200 parents and children participated in the Prince William County Fatherhood Initiative’s first “Dad’s Play Day”, a community event to celebrate Father’s Day and encourage dads to spend more time with their children. The free event took place at the A.J. Ferlazzo Building in Woodbridge and included lunch, prizes and fun activities for dads and their children, including games like basketball, whiffle ball, an obstacle course, and water balloon toss, as well as activities like face-painting and arts and crafts.

Under the oversight of Social Services Director Courtney Tierney and Deputy County Executive Elijah Johnson, the Prince William County Fatherhood Initiative’s (PWCFI) mission is to empower fathers to do what is in the best interest of their children. Although the event focused on fathers and their children, mothers also attended and participated.

Various members of Prince William’s elected officials were in attendance, as well. Delegate Michael Futrell (District 02) delivered remarks and challenged the attendees to continue engaging their kids and providing the support their children need. Also in attendance were Occoquan Supervisor Mike May, Woodbridge School Board Member Loree Williams, and Delegate Rich Anderson (District 51).

“Dad’s Play Day was a great community event for fathers and their children to spend time together and have fun,” said PWCFI Steering Committee Chairman Derwin Overton. “The higher-than-expected attendance is a great sign for this Initiative and our community as a whole. We also appreciate Delegate Futrell for inspiring us to make our responsibility as a father a top priority.”

“We look forward to hosting more opportunities like this in the future,” said Prince William Department of Social Services Chief-of-services and PWCFI Co-chairman Phyllis Jennings-Holt. “We know that the active involvement of a father can have a lasting and positive impact on children, so we want to encourage that all across the County. For individuals who want to go through our program or serve as a facilitator, please reach out to the Prince William County Department of Social Services.”

The Initiative is led by a Steering Committee made up of social service professionals and community partners to administer programs that engage parents with their children. The Initiative’s primary program is an 8-week long support group for men who desire to be better parents. When fathers are involved in the lives of their children, especially their education, kids learn more, perform better in school, and exhibit healthier behavior, according to research.

The PWCFI Steering Committee is led by Overton (OAR) and Ms. Jennings-Holt. Other members of the Committee include: County employees Devina Martin, Robert Rios, Barbara Nye, Angela Davis, Ebonie Williams, Shelby Holley, Milenka St-Clair and community advocates Jessica Dunn (Change In Action) D.J. Jordan (Virginia Board of Social Services), Kaffa Goda (Northern Virginia Family Service) and Raheem Turane (Youth For Tomorrow).

Learn more about the Prince William County Fatherhood Initiative by visiting www.pwcgov.org/fatherhood