Good Dads

'Tis the season to be good dads 🎵

Good Dads and their kids at Ash Grove Elementary had some seasonal fun this week with Good Dads Strong Schools! They learned a lesson about traditions, holidays and respecting other cultures. Way to go, dads! It's so important that fathers are involved in their kids' educations.

Will you commit to fighting for the underdog?

Communities flourish when dads are encouraged, resourced and inspired to be more involved in the lives of their children. By choosing to financially support Good Dads as we approach 2024, you're rooting for the underdog in the fight for fathers.

Find out how you can support the underdog — head to gooddads.com and click on Donate OR follow this link: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTA1NDcx

This week on the podcast, your hosts cover gratitude in the aftermath of addiction or a traumatic event. They underscore the significance of cultivating hopeful habits and embracing gratitude as essential tools to move forward in the face of life's challenges. How can you practice being grateful in a time like this? Tune in at https://www.gooddads.com/podcast

Another training camp in the books! Leaders met in downtown Springfield all last week to learn how to facilitate a Good Dads class. It was a memorable, hands-on event for everyone! Thank you to our newest group of facilitators for being engaged in our father focus; you are AWESOME! And thank you to our master facilitators who helped lead the course; we couldn't do it without you.

Join us in congratulating more than a dozen new facilitators for Good Dads classes! 🎉

It can be difficult to stick to new habits, but they go a long way in self-improvement. This week on the Men & Mental Health blog, from speaker and author Tim Elmore, find three insightful reminders on starting new disciplines: https://www.gooddads.com/mental-health/starting-new-habits-or-disciplines

Will you commit to fighting for the underdog?

Communities flourish when dads are encouraged, resourced and inspired to be more involved in the lives of their children. By choosing to financially support Good Dads as we approach 2024, you're rooting for the underdog in the fight for fathers.

Find out how you can support the underdog — head to gooddads.com and click on Donate OR follow this link: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTA1NDcx

Good Dads Good Dads is a nonprofit with a mission to help kids and communities one dad at a time.

Can cultivating hopeful habits help turn aspirations into reality? YES! Not only that, hopeful habits also enhance your overall well-being, offering a roadmap to becoming a more positive and happier person. This week on the Men and Mental Health blog: 3 Hopeful Habits in the Season of Gratitude. https://www.gooddads.com/mental-health/3-hopeful-habits-in-the-season-of-gratitude

🥊🥊 Root for the the underdog by supporting Good Dads today! 🥊🥊

Good Dads is determined to make a difference for dads in communities throughout Missouri and beyond. We've forged awesome partnerships with other underdogs in the fight, and we're reaching more men than ever before. Now through the end of the year, we're asking YOU to pledge your support as we expand our services to help more kids and communities one dad at a time.

Discover how YOU can support the underdog: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/MTA1NDcx

Good Dads wishes you a happy Thanksgiving!
Our offices are closed Thursday and Friday to observe the holiday. If you're joining us next week for our Fall Training Camp, we'll see you bright and early Monday morning at The Downtown Church!

What role does hope play in recovery? Tune in to this week's podcast for insightful discussions on the pivotal role hope plays in the recovery journey and discover strategies to embrace and preserve that hope, even during life's biggest challenges. Listen to the new podcast: https://www.gooddads.com/podcast

Part of our monthly theme on "Breaking the Pattern" for the Men and Mental Health blog is recognizing your family's needs and helping them create healthy habits. Dads play a vital role in supporting their family through thick and thin. This week on the blog: "6 Proven Ways Dads Can Help Family Members Fight Mental Health Problems." Check it out at our website, https://www.gooddads.com/mental-health/6-proven-ways-dads-can-help-family-members-fight-mental-health-problems

The official deadline for registering for our training camp has passed, but we still have limited availability for last-minute sign-ups! This extended deadline won't be open forever, so give us a call or shoot us an email ASAP to learn more!

Find details about the Training camp (11/27 thru 12/1) on our website: https://www.gooddads.com/training-camp

Last Friday dads at Willard Central bonded with their kids before school and had a ton of fun making Thank-You card together! Everyone learned about the importance of expressing gratitude and appreciation while enjoying breakfast together. Good Dads is grateful for everyone who joined us for this awesome event!

Weller dads know how to do it! Weller is one of our favorite elementary schools to visit, and they always have a fantastic turnout of good dads who join their kids for a morning of making memories! This Strong Schools lesson was all about gratitude and appreciation. Dads and kids made Thank-You cards for the Thanksgiving season. Teaching kids about thankfulness and gratitude is a great way to teach good manners and good life skills! You dads are so awesome!

Friends of Good Dads — this is your last day to register for our fall training camp taking place Nov 27–Dec 1! If you have been meaning to register, now's the time! The training camp only happens twice a year, so don't miss it! Everything you need to know is on our website, https://www.gooddads.com/training-camp

Something unexpected is coming to mailboxes very soon from Good Dads! 💌📪 Folks on our mailing list should keep an eye out for boxing gloves from us in coming days — and may we just say, this letter PACKS A PUNCH!

Don't worry: We're announcing more for social media followers very soon! Support Good Dads, the UNDERDOG in the fight for dads, by heading to our website and clicking on Donate.

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER! Then get ready to ENGAGE at Good Dads' upcoming Training Camp. This session, we're hosting trainings for Good Dads 2.0 and the Within My Reach course. You don't want to miss out, so register now! https://www.gooddads.com/training-camp

If you call the Ozarks home, you may be eligible to attend training and receive class materials at no charge. Give us a call or shoot us a DM to find out more.

From the Good Dads archive, we bring you a discussion with James, who has a remarkable story to share. It begins with Victory Mission's Restoration program and includes involvement with the Fatherhood Development Curriculum. Today James works full-time and has benefits associated with fulltime employment. He regularly sees his sons and appreciates the opportunity to contribute to their care by paying child support. Tune into the Good Dads podcast at https://www.gooddads.com/podcast

The human brain is not unlike a rider on the back of an elephant. The rider is rational, deliberate and wants to be in control of any situation. The elephant, on the other hand, is intuitive, emotional and often difficult to control. What does that have to do with healthy habits, parenting and marriage? Check out this week's Men and Mental Health Blog to find out! https://www.gooddads.com/mental-health/marriage-makes-men-better

At Good Dads, we find there's no better way to help kids than to encourage fathers to be positively involved in their lives. If you agree, then our upcoming training camp is for you! The week-long event is perfect for folks looking for ways to improve the way they work with men. If you haven't registered yet, now's the time! Registering only takes a few minutes, BUT REGISTRATION CLOSES SOON, SO HURRY! https://www.gooddads.com/training-camp

If you call the Ozarks home, you may be eligible to attend the training camp for FREE! Send us a DM or call our offices to learn more.

Way to go, Pirates! Dads and kids at Grove Elementary School made awesome marshmallow towers before school and learned about teamwork. Dads are so important to their kids' educational success!

Feeling stagnant? Looking to learn something new? Then GET READY! The week-long Training Camp is just a few days away. If you haven't registered yet, now's the time! Registering only takes a few minutes: https://www.gooddads.com/training-camp

If you call the Ozarks home, you may be eligible to attend the training camp for FREE! Send us a DM or call our offices to learn more.

Strong Schools is the talk of the town! Dr. Collins and Dr. Scott presented at the Missouri School Board Association last week and shared the success they are having engaging dads with the Good Dads Strong Schools program. Hooray for Branson Public Schools

Hungry for a new passion or way to give back to your community? Then GET READY! The week-long Training Camp is coming up fast: It's your rare opportunity to learn to lead Good Dads classes to men in our program. If you haven't registered yet, now's the time! Registering only takes a few minutes: https://www.gooddads.com/training-camp

If you call the Ozarks home, you may be eligible to attend the training camp for FREE! Send us a DM or call our offices to learn more.

Good Dads Good Dads is a nonprofit with a mission to help kids and communities one dad at a time.

Good Dads is in the news! Channel KSN in Joplin put out an awesome news package and covered our graduation event on Sunday. Check it out!

What is the “Good Dads” program? JOPLIN, Mo. — Nine men, all with a similar past, have two things in common — they’re working on bettering themselves… And they’re all fathers. They make up about a third of recent…

Way to go, Victory Mission dads! Fathers at Springfield Victory Mission, led by facilitators Ronnie Merritt and Tracy Swanson, completed Good Dads 2.0 at the end of last month. We love to see big smiles on the faces of these good dads!

We're still blown away by the amazing accomplishments that we celebrated during our Good Dads graduation ceremony. On Sunday, 22 men were recognized for completing program requirements. Congratulations, dads!

As we embrace a new month, we are kicking off our new theme, Breaking the Pattern. This week we bring you a podcast episode from the Good Dad's archives with Dr. Brent Anderson. Dr. Anderson, a clinical psychologist with insights on behavioral intervention, says your environment can help or inhibit the change you need. Listen to learn how you can set yourself up to successfully break your negative habits: https://www.gooddads.com/podcast

We can't think of a more inspiring photo than this one from yesterday's Good Dads graduation! We honored two dozen men at the Downtown Church on Sunday to celebrate the dads who met all the requirements in the New Pathways for Good Dads program.

These men have truly accomplished so much. They completed both classes in the program, secured stable employment, and are contributing to the wellbeing of their families. Hats off to you, dads! Your achievements are changing the world.

More pics from graduation coming soon!

The skill and creativity in the room this weekend is totally unmatched! We can hardly express how grateful we are for each team and event organizers who worked so hard to help Good Dads reach even more fathers in Missouri and beyond. Amazing work, everyone!

Habits provide us with a reassuring sense of control, boost our self-assurance and contribute to our feeling of normalcy. However, some of our habits do more harm than good, and it can be a struggle to break them. With insights from James Clear's groundbreaking book, "Atomic Habits," learn how cues, cravings, responses and rewards shape our behavior.

This week on the Men and Mental Health Blog: You Can't Stick to Positive Habits in a Negative Environment. https://www.gooddads.com/mental-health/you-cant-stick-to-positive-habits-in-a-negative-environment-lessons-learned-from-atomic-habits

WOW! What an UNFORGETTABLE training camp! Good Dads' newest collaboration with Love Columbia means we're fortunate enough to begin serving fathers in a brand new geographic location starting NOW!

We're BLOWN AWAY from the energy, enthusiasm and dedication that came from the group of leaders who attended this training camp as they learned to facilitate a Good Dads 2.0 class. It was a real honor to get to know you, Columbia! By believing in fathers and working to make a difference, we're changing the world one dad at a time

Sertoma Thanks for having us! Good Dads had the pleasure of being a guest at today's meeting. Club members learned all about the Strong Schools program from Strong Schools Coordinator Jim Millsap. We're so excited about the awesome connections we made!

GET READY! The week-long Training Camp is coming up fast. If you haven't registered yet, now's the time! Registering only takes a few minutes.

If you call the Ozarks home, you may be eligible to attend the training camp for FREE! Send us a DM or call our offices to learn more.

https://www.gooddads.com/training-camp

Nothing says fall quite like marshmallows!!!

We didn't roast them for S'mores or add them to a cup of cocoa, but did the next best thing ... BUILD MARSHMALLOW TOWERS! Dads and kids made awesome towers together at Watkins Elementary at Good Dads Strong Schools last week. Awesome job!

Here comes an episode from the Good Dads archives! Dr. Baker and Drew Dilisio originally met with Doug, a father and a husband, in February 2022 to discuss his battles with addiction. "I wouldn't do anything unless I could drink. If there was no drink, there was no Doug," he says. Join us as Doug shares his experiences, strengths and hopes for those who still struggle with addiction.

Tune in: https://www.gooddads.com/podcast

Happy Halloween, friends! Have a safe and fun holiday with Good Dads' 5 quick tips for the spooky season. What are you dressing up as this year? Share your dad + kid costumes with us!

(The illustration accompanying this post is AI generated.)

Did you see the story from the Springfield Daily Citizen about the recent event? Check out the awesome article!

SGF business experts meet nonprofits to solve 'gnarliest' problems A two-day workshop paired uniquely-skilled experts and Great Game of Business coaches with Springfield nonprofits who all had problems.