Since 2013, the non-profit organization Stronger Than My Father has been at the forefront of working to make a significant difference in young boys’ lives. The organization has been providing boys from kindergarten through high school with the values and skills they need to become good people and exceptional community leaders.
As reported by April Eaton of Urban Outlook, a production of News Channel 5, 18.4 million children live without a biological, step or adoptive father in the home. That is one in every four children.
The organization’s focus is reaching out to at-risk males who have no father or lack a strong, positive male influence in their lives. According to information provided to the organization by the U. S. Department of Justice, “fatherless homes account for 63% of youth suicides, 70% of juvenile incarcerations, 70% of all high school drop outs, 70% of adolescent patients in substance abuse centers, 85% of children with behavioral disorders and 95% of homeless and runaway youth.” It often leads to an endless cycle that includes poverty.
One of their key programs is their Stronger Sons Mentoring Program. It was developed to help young men discover their God-given talents, build personal responsibility, focus on educational excellence, and participate in community service. Every other weekend the boys do a service project or learn a life skill from their mentors.
The mentoring program provides the young men with a number of experiences they may not otherwise be able to have. Recently, several of their mentors took younger boys in the program to Urban Air, while the older sons were treated to some adult field day fun thanks to the Downtown Franklin Rotary’s Rollick and Roll event. Stronger Than My Father thanked the participating mentors — Harold Simpson, Christian Debay, Eric Burchett, Bob Lyons, and Dustin Mohammed — on their Facebook page for their dedication to the organization and to the kids during this activity.
While the organization is located in Nashville, they have strong ties to Williamson County. Recently, Jena Potter, who is the director of marketing and communications for Williamson Inc., received an Emerging Leader Award from Franklin Tomorrow for her work with both the Downtown Franklin Rotary Club and Stronger Than My Father.
Through their Hope Leadership Academy, Stronger Than My Father provides after school care for children in pre-K through fifth grade, summer camps, and literacy and reading programs. The afterschool program transports participating children to and from school, and they provide homework assistance, character development, enrichment activities and healthy snacks and meals. It has become their flagship program.
Founded by current Executive Director Marcus Meneese, according to his interview with Eaton, the whole thing began with a tee shirt that his son was wearing.
“…My son had a shirt that said ‘Strong Like Dad.’ In 2013, God whispered in my ear ‘Stronger Than My Father,’ I wrote it down, and decided that was a cool name. Over time, I decided to step out and start a non-profit organization that would address the issues of kids growing up without a father.”
Meneese has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Tennessee State University and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University. For more than 20 years he has been a youth mentor, which drew him to the desire to stop the cycle of poverty and suffering created by being a fatherless child.
Most of the young men he has worked with deal with a lot of anger, and they become followers rather than leaders. Often looking for direction and acceptance, they are led to gangs and/or “friends who are not doing right,” according to Meneese.
“It’s time for men to step up and help these [aimless] young men,” said Meneese. “Unfortunately, in the African American community, less than half have a father in the home.”
A lot of the issue stems from a lack of taking responsibility for getting a woman pregnant, Menesse feels. It is a weakness in our current society.
“I’m blessed to have grown up with a mother and a father,” said Menesse. “I am blessed to have two boys and a wife. We work as a team. When single moms have to do it by themselves, it’s a lot harder…It’s time for young men to step up and say I am going to be there.”
Meneese has a podcast that he uses to get his ideas out to the community, and where he shares tips and ideas.
He also goes to visit the schools where their program participants attend. That simple act has changed the course of a number of lives because it shows the boys that someone cares.
“My goal is to be a father figure,” added Meneese. “When I come to a school, they are like, ‘Mr. Marcus is here!’ They know I am expecting them to not act up in school. To keep their grades up to par.”
The organization also does a lot of community service work, like giving out turkeys at Thanksgiving and giving out Christmas gifts.
Continuing to build the programs, Meneese hopes to add more mentors. And also partnered with various organizations, like the Entrepreneurship Center in Williamson County, to provide activities and experiences that are outside these young men’s normal life. These experiences show the boys that there are opportunities beyond what they have imagined.
“I really have a heart to serve,” said Meneese in his interview with Eaton.
