Everything BremertonThanks to Bremerton Dads

Father’s Day is the opportunity to acknowledge and thank those special dads who are fully engaged and involved in childrens lives. Our community is chocked full of them.Children, especially boys, need reliable positive male role models to interact with and look up to as they grow and develop. In my dealings with local schools and youth organizations, the need and desire for an increase in the number of adult male volunteer participants and the number of hours they contribute is always there.  If you feel the call to participate or volunteer, then please do so.  If you are already engaged, thank you.

More and more dads are breaking free of stereotypes and signing up for or engaging in activities that were traditionally handled by moms.

The Bremerton School District currently participates in the Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) program. This is a program that was embraced and promoted at the National PTA level. It helps coordinate and develop male volunteers willing to spend one or more days a year volunteering in and around schools. Volunteers that participate in this program develop a greater awareness of the overall positive impact they can have on student’s academics and behaviors.

Local youth organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and Pee Wee sports also provide healthy opportunities for kids to find and develop relationships with male adults in their community. Adults that want to pass along their skills and passion for their hobbies, sports or career choices to the next generation.

This week Nick’s class went on a field trip to Green Mountain. Every year, since kindergarten, Jason takes a few days off of work to volunteer and chaperone for one or two of Nick’s class trips. The kids love having a “dad” along and remember Jason from past excursions or as their neighborhood UPS delivery driver. Jason gets to meet and interact with a wide variety of kids from his community. He also comes home with a much greater appreciation for those individuals who do work with large groups of children on a daily basis.

So, this weekend we celebrate the dads in our lives. All of our dads, whether they are biological, volunteer or paid. Those men that have come and gone or stayed constant throughout our lives who remind us by example of what we can all do better or accomplish if we put our minds and sprit to it. Happy Fathers Day.