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Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio spearheads “Father Friendly” community event
Published: May 18, 2016
Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio will kick off Father Friendly, a new community event to celebrate responsible fatherhood on Saturday, June 11 from 1 – 4 p.m. at Lock 3 in downtown Akron.
The event is open to the public. The first 1,000 attendees will be treated to a free lunch, free admission and free parking.
The Father Friendly event will provide an opportunity for Summit County citizens, families, government agencies, faith-based groups, members of the business community and area nonprofit organizations to gather in celebration of responsible fatherhood.
The celebratory event will feature family fun activities, inflatables, musical entertainment, a photo booth and more. Those in attendance will also have an opportunity to learn about the numerous educational programs, services and resources that are being made available to fathers throughout the community.
“This exciting and entertaining event will also provide fathers with an opportunity to discuss their parental concerns with knowledgeable and trusted area professionals who are leading the responsible fatherhood movement across Summit County,” said Judge Teodosio. “Such discussions are key to breaking down barriers to father involvement.”
Thirty six percent of households in Summit County with adolescent children are single-parent households. Of those, 6,867 single-parent households with adolescent children are living below the federally established poverty line.
“Whether the household is led by a female with an absentee father, or led by a male with an absentee mother, there is a need for fatherhood assistance,” said Bill Macchione, coordinator of the Summit County Fatherhood Initiative. “Financial support is important, but data shows that outcomes for children will improve not by virtue of financial support alone, but also through high-quality interactions between fathers and their children.”
To encourage such interactions, Father Friendly exhibitors will be facilitating the following family fun activities: corn hole, take-and-make crafts (creating a Father’s Day card), face painting, interactive lessons on the art of face shaving and tying a necktie, signing a responsible fatherhood pledge and more. Families will also be presented with opportunities to meet-n-greet with Minion look-alikes and members of The University of Akron football team.
“Fathers who engage with and spend quality time with their children have an important impact on their child's emotional and social development. Research shows that children with involved, caring fathers have better educational outcomes, are more emotionally stable, and are able to create opportunities for more successful lives,” said Dr. Stephen Cosby, director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Akron Children’s Hospital.
“Our community is becoming increasingly aware that when fathers are actively involved in their children’s lives, the children they care for enter formal child serving systems of care less frequently, less deeply and for shorter periods of time,” said Judge Teodosio. “Awareness leads to action and action leads to change!”
For more information on this event visit the Father Friendly Community Event page on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/fatherfriendlysummitcounty/, or call 330-643-2939.
Sponsors include: Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron Summit Community Action, Inc., Celebration Church, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Fame Fathers, Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, Metro RTA, Music Fashion Inner-tainment Group (MFIG), Ohio Commission on Fatherhood, Summit County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board, Summit County Child Support Enforcement Agency, Summit County Children Services, Summit County Department of Job and Family Services, Summit County Fatherhood Initiative, Summit County Juvenile Court, Summit Education Initiative, the YMCA and the Young Black Professionals Coalition.