Event a part of President Obama’s Fatherhood Initiative’s “Fatherhood Buzz” Barbershop Series
Baltimore, MD (June 15, 2012) – Today, Secretary Dallas joined David Miller of President Obama’s Fatherhood Initiative and Joe Jones of the Center for Urban Families in a conversation with area fathers and their children about fatherhood, parenting and what it means to be a dad as we approach Father’s Day. The secretary highlighted how the department’s efforts at engaging fathers have helped fuel a $20 million increase in child support collections in federal fiscal year 2012, compared with the same period during the previous year.
“We recognize that most fathers aren’t the stereotypical ‘dead beat dad,’ and in fact want to do what’s best for their children,” said Ted Dallas, secretary of the Department of Human Resources. “By engaging these fathers, and investing $1 million in programs to encourage responsible fatherhood, we’ve seen child support collections surge by more than $20 million. In every corner of the state we have more fathers providing more support to their children.”
The announcement came as the secretary participated in a roundtable discussion on responsible fatherhood, one of dozens of such forums happening across the nation this weekend as part of President Obama’s Fatherhood Initiative’s “Fatherhood Buzz” — a pilot outreach initiative designed to disseminate information about responsible fatherhood and
parenting. The discussion was facilitated by Joe Jones, CEO & President of the Center for Urban Families, who on Wednesday was recognized by President Obama as a “White House Champion for Change” for his work to promote responsible fatherhood.
Encouraging fathers to take a vested interest in their children’s lives has been a key part of DHR’s efforts to move Maryland into the top ten in child support collections nationally by March 2013. To date, Maryland has increased child support collections by more than $20 million — in large part due to a more than $1 million investment in fatherhood programs over the same period.
“Our goal is to preserve the dignity of every child in Maryland by ensuring that every parent meets their moral obligation to support and provide for them,” said Secretary Dallas. “By investing in and encouraging responsible fatherhood, we help Maryland become one of the top 10 states in child support collections by March 2013.”
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