Ozark West Elementary has their first Strong Schools event

Plus — the importance of mentors and role models

NEWSLETTER First-Time Strong Schools Events and Teaching Kids the Importance of Kindness January 17th, 2025 GOOD DADS PODCAST The Difference a Dad Makes The Importance of Mentors & Role Models In the premiere episode of The Difference a Dad Makes, Dr. Jennifer Baker and cohost J. Fotsch welcome Brian Mattson, lead pastor at the Downtown Church and father of two, to discuss the critical role of fathers, mentors and role models in shaping lives. Brian shares personal experiences of fatherhood, the challenges and rewards of parenting young children and the importance of being an active and intentional father. The episode also highlights how mentors and male role models can step in to fill gaps for those without a father figure, offering guidance, accountability and a positive example. “Early research on dads focused on what happens when you don’t have a dad. Now we’re looking at what dads bring to the parenting equation that kids don’t get from their moms." Tune In THE DAD FACTOR Dads Can Raise Kind, Generous Children When They Lead by Example Most dads hope to raise kind, generous children who care for others. Most parents want to see their children playing well with others, practicing kindness and developing meaningful relationships. But when your toddler just yanked a toy out of her brother’s hands with a yowl of “MINE!” or when your teenager just slammed their bedroom door for the hundredth time, kindness can feel like miles away. This week on the Dad Factor blog, Good Dads spoke with Dr. Sarah Jean Baker, an early childhood expert, to offer insights and wisdom on kindness: how to impart it to our youngsters, how to cultivate it in everyday life and how dads can live by example. “Think carefully about what kindness might mean in your household. What are you capable of doing to demonstrate kindness? What are your values? Find what works best for you." Continue Reading STRONG SCHOOLS: OUTSTANDING OZARK WEST Folks at Ozark West Elementary had their first-ever Strong Schools event on Tuesday, and we had such a great time meeting this new group! Dads and students worked together to complete a calendar activity, the object of which was to catalog the dates of the year important to their family (like birthdays, pet adoption days, anniversaries and memorials, etc). MAGNIFICENT MATTHEWS ELEMENTARY Meanwhile, fathers and students of Matthews Elementary in Nixa had a fun-filled Wednesday morning! Good Dads continues to make a difference in the lives of both fathers and their children. NEW CONTEST: GREAT COMMUNITY OF THE YEAR Does your community uniquely represent the Good Dads mission to help kids and communities one dad at a time? Submit your Contest Entry for a chance to win the $10,000 grand prize. But hurry! All entries are due by May 1, 2025. See Contest Details TRAINING CAMP More than two dozen father-focused individuals representing several Missouri communities joined Good Dads in Harrisonville, MO, to be trained to facilitate the nonprofit’s flagship fatherhood skills course, Good Dads 2.0. With the assistance of this newest group of facilitators, Good Dads expects to launch several new fatherhood classes to serve at-risk fathers very soon. Congrats to this group! Read More VOLUNTEERS WANTED! Become a Captain with Good Dads Strong Schools Lead a New Pathways for Good Dads Class Help us Spread the Good Dads Vision Find all our Volunteer Opportunities DAD JOKES What's the difference between Benjamin Franklin and a duck? One has his face on a bill, the other has a bill on his face! What vegetable is not allowed on ships? Leeks! POLL Last week, we asked subscribers what the best thing about the community they live in is. Here are the responses... The people: 18% The architecture: 6% The small businesses: 13% The local events: 6% The outdoor scenery: 13% The sense of identity: 44% And the winner is the sense of identity! We hope you had fun with this week's poll, and consider joining our Great Community of the Year contest. TRIVIA We're already halfway through January! Can you believe it? Like many months, January is full of holidays, some well-known and some more obscure. We hope you enjoy this week's January related trivia question! Which of these holidays does NOT occur in January? Martin Luther King Jr. Day Swiss Cheese Day Dark Chocolate Day Spaghetti Day Harlem Globetrotters Day World Nerd Day We'll reveal the answer in next week's newsletter! — Special Thanks to Our Business Partners — Special thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Benjy and Lori Lampert for your continued support! Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Randy and Cindy McGinnis for your continued support! – G O O D D A D S . C O M – Administrative Offices: 415 E Walnut Client Services: 205 W. Walnut, Suite 10 Springfield, MO 65806 417.501.8867 • info@gooddads.com Did someone forward this? If you'd like to join the thousands of awesome people who read this newsletter, you can subscribe here. Homepage Partners About Us Directions

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