TakeCharge launched its first Fatherhood Impact Award this year to recognize men who champion fatherhood.
These are regular guys who are exceptional fathers, said Kendall Qualls, president of TakeCharge.
Thirteen men from five local churches received the award. Winners received a monetary award along with a copy of The Man Code by Revive Church Pastor Mark Henry.
Winners, who are selected by church leadership, are featured today in a half-page ad in the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press to inspire and guide a new generation of young men to lead as exceptional fathers, according to Qualls.
“Most Americans don’t know that the U.S. leads the world in the percentage of children living in fatherless homes and are shocked to learn we exceed the average by three times the average,” Qualls said. “If we want to see changes in behavior, I learned long ago that you have to incentivize and elevate models of behavior you want replicated.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18.4 million children, 1 in 4, live without a biological, step or adoptive father in the home. Research shows children raised in a father-absent home are more likely to live in poverty, drop out of high school, commit a crime, and go to prison.
The men who received this year’s award exemplify behaviors desperately needed in our culture, Qualls said.
These behaviors — personal responsibility, honoring their wives, training their children, and loving God and the church — are outlined in The Man Code.
“When young boys see these men honored and celebrated, it will encourage them to replicate their behavior as they grow up,” Qualls said. “I am sure it will have an impact for members of their immediate and extended families.”
One of the most important aspects of being a father is loving your wife, said Carl Pedro, one of this year’s winners.
Pedro and his wife Mary Kaye have been married for 40 years and have 10 children.
“I can probably write an unabridged book on what not to do,” he said. “A father sets the tone of a family as a follower of Jesus first and foremost. A father holds high the honor of his wife. It’s intentional. You have to work hard at it. You’ll make mistakes but you must be willing to apologize.”
This year’s winners are Wilbur Nieman, Gervasio Penaloza, DeShawn Scroggins, Carl Pedro, Mark Revering, Greg Austin, Eric Bracey Sr., Jose Renteria, Isaac Gomez, Howard Austin, Travale Haynes, Jeff Schultz, and John Moline.
The award will be granted annually. To receive more information about the Fatherhood Impact Award, email vasb@gnxrpunetr.pbz.
