“The only time I’ve ever been on stage or been up there (was) taking a mugshot, so for me to be up there and there’s probation officers and there’s Judge Rice and a lot of people in the community — it’s just different,” said Stan Buxton, a previous keynote speaker at the We the Fathers banquet. “It lets people see you in a different light. Instead of people seeing you be bad, they’re seeing you being good.”
Buxton was incarcerated for 10 years, and is now a business owner and an active father to his 7-year-old daughter.
Providing children with the opportunity to connect with their fathers and to be able to connect with the community is a large reason for the event, according to Michael Newsom, the Fatherhood Director for Montgomery County’s Fatherhood Initiative.
“It’s a celebratory event but at the same time it’s also an event to showcase again our community dads and make sure everybody understands how hard they are working at fatherhood,” Newsom said. “To get the perception off that they don’t really spend time with their kids, and they don’t care about their kids and those types of things, we wanna show people that that’s not the case and give them the opportunity to really shine on that evening.”,
According to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, around 91% of parents that are incarcerated are fathers. Montgomery County’s Fatherhood Initiative works so that post-incarceration, more children can have a two-parent household.
Federal Judge Walter Rice, an active member of Montgomery County’s Fatherhood Initiative and keynote speaker for Friday’s banquet, explained the importance of making sure children are able to have a household with a father in it.
“I’ve been doing what I do now for well over 50 years, and the common denominator in probably 90% of the people that come before me in criminal court, is the absence of fathers or male role models in their lives,” Rice said. “It truly is critical. Mothers and grandmothers work so hard but they can’t be fathers too.”
The “We The Fathers” banquet is from 6-9 p.m. today at the Sinclair Conference Center. The cost is $40 per plate, or $320 to secure a table of eight. The Celebrating Fatherhood event takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Levitt Pavilion in downtown Dayton, and provides free BBQ and entertainment for the family.
“When we started, there were many fathers who had been estranged from their children because of having been being away from them so often and for so long, and I think the Fatherhood Initiative has helped parents and children get together to reconcile. I do see a difference, especially among the re-entering population where I’ve worked,” Rice said.
The banquet will include live music, plated food, speakers including Judge Rice, and a father-daughter fashion show in partnership with Clothes that Work. The Celebrating Fatherhood event includes live music as well, with food, and booths full of resources to help fathers and their families.
For more information on participating or how to get involved, contact Michael Newsom at 937-225-4759.
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