Blog
-
Lisa Stephenson and UV’s Vice President, Val Lenington, with two of the program’s graduates. In June, Ultimate Ventures supported The Fatherhood Initiative at One Community Church in Lewisville. The Fatherhood Initiative was created by former UV employee Lisa Stephenson and her husband Dave, to invest in and mentor young men ages 10 – 15 who do not have a father present in their life.
This weekly program gave the boys, their moms, and roughly 40 volunteers the chance to eat together, have fun, learn, and build relationships in a nurturing environment. The boys participated in career planning, life skills, team building, and spiritual growth while their mothers had the opportunity to connect and share their struggles/successes with one another.
The need for grassroots programs such as The Fatherhood Initiative is great, and the statistics for children raised without a father are staggering.
Here are just a few:
- 43% of children in the United States live without their father.
- 62% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
- 71% of high school dropouts are fatherless.
- 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.
- 85% of children who exhibit behavior disorders come from fatherless homes.
- Boys whose fathers are absent are at double the risk of being incarcerated.
As a gift to the boys who completed the program and a reminder of their lessons, Ultimate Ventures donated 25 toolboxes. The church/community filled the toolboxes with tools (actual tools and practical tools for life) to equip the boys for the next stage of their lives. Congratulations to the boys, their moms, and the volunteers for launching this initiative and making such a positive impact in their communities!
About Every Month Matters
In 2008, Ultimate Ventures created an internal CSR program, Every Month Matters, to measure our success not only by delivering fabulous client meetings and events, but also by serving the Dallas-Fort Worth community. Each month, our team takes time to focus on what truly matters – helping others. We select a local charity with a goal of fulfilling one or more of their needs. Since the launch of this program, the destination management team at Ultimate Ventures has participated in well over 100 projects/charities to enrich our community.
Leave a Reply