The Fatherhood Collaborative recently held their sixth annual “Dads Count” breakfast in Millbrae, Calif. The event and awards ceremony is presented by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, the Judges of the Superior Court and the Fatherhood Collaborative of San Mateo.
Raiders Legend and two-time Super Bowl Champion Jim Plunkett attended the event and served as the keynote speaker. “Plunk” serves as a strong representative of what the Fatherhood Collaborative stands for: a group whose mission is to provide a forum to address and support the importance of men and fathers taking an active role in the well-being of children and families.“I think the organization has a great agenda – trying to get fathers more involved with their kids,” said Plunkett. “The organization tries to provide weekend field trips and excursions for the fathers and [children] to participate in. That’s all good stuff.”
As a father, Plunkett looks back on his childhood and the role his parents played in shaping him, trying to offer the same to his children. “I think I reflect a lot of the love and attitude my parents had towards their children onto our kids and try to get them to be positive and confident, strive to work hard,” said Plunkett.
Pat Ledesma, a member on the organization’s board recognizes the importance of the cause he dedicates his time to. “We recognize that there is a common denominator in the equation. If a father is not around, kids have a higher chance to end up in trouble,” said Ledesma. “From a social services standpoint, I think we see that it is a no brainer – the more involved a father is in a child’s life, the more self-esteem and more of a role model and leader they have, the more successful they are.”
The “Dads Count” breakfast serves a variety of purposes. “This is our event to honor families and businesses who have created opportunities and are supportive of families and fathers being involved in their children’s lives,” said Ledesma. The entire Fatherhood Collaborative was very excited to have Jim Plunkett speak at their event. “Jim is an icon of the peninsula and we were glad to have him here to talk about what family means to him,” said Ledesma.
The feelings were mutual, as Plunkett was excited to help out and raise awareness of an important cause. Plunkett knows that, “The things the Fatherhood Collaborative do to bring families together is just outstanding. I want to compliment them on what they are doing here.” |
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