Conference helps high-risk men build relationships with their children

Twelve young men from a five-county region of Southeast Missouri connected with top professionals on family involvement issues, community leaders, legislators, health professionals and social service agencies Friday during the "Fatherhood First" conference. The conference, held at the Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau, was sponsored by the Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium Inc.

Cynthia Dean, chief executive officer of the consortium, said the purpose of the conference was to celebrate the men's graduation from a program designed to educate fathers in improving relationships and preparing for employment.

"We work with high-risk men, some of which have been incarcerated," Dean said. She said the program helps men get back into a healthy relationship with their children and families.

The Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium is a federal and state grant funded not-for-profit organization based in Portageville that works in Dunklin, Pemiscot, New Madrid, Mississippi and Scott counties to improve the quality of family life using grant money, donations and help from volunteers.

The organization works with area agencies to focus on providing participants with education and resources involving job training and placement, information on paying child support, substance abuse, healthy living and parenting skills.

Talmadge West is an honorary member of Fatherhood First's advisory panel and reads public service announcements for the consortium on KCRV 1370 radio in Caruthersville, Mo. West said the men in the program need to be educated most about laws that surround child support.

One of the consortium's father outreach specialists, Kevin Clayborn, said the majority of the men he sees come into the program were felons only because they couldn't pay child support. Clayborn works with the participants to lead them to the right resources to avoid being unemployed and unable to make child support payments, setting the stage for criminal prosecution.

"If they are in jail, it's not likely they can pay from there, either," said Clayborn.

Professional advocates Dr. Janice Kelly of the New York State Fatherhood Initiative and Halbert Sullivan, chief executive officer of the Fathers' Support Center in St. Louis, were among the keynote speakers. Kelly came to Cape Girardeau from New York City specifically for the conference at Dean's request and presented a documentary she produced about perceptions of fathers in the media.

"It's important for [the participants] to know how they are perceived," Kelly said.

Sullivan has been a longtime supporter of better laws regarding child-support enforcement. He spoke to attendees about a new bill soon to be introduced to Gov. Jay Nixon that would, according to the Missouri Senate's website, allow defendants in criminal nonsupport cases to receive education, vocational training and a work program assignment or substance abuse treatment in an effort to encourage them to resume their child support payments. Completion of the court-ordered programs or resumption of support payments would reduce or dismiss charges or penalties. Sullivan also reviewed Senate Bill 141, which would require that a presumed father be notified of civil proceedings used to determine paternity, in order to protect them from false paternity claims.

Participant Steven Moore of New Madrid, Mo., is in the process of getting a job as a result of what he has learned in the program.

"This program was definitely a good thing for me because it motivated me, and taught me how to work with my kids differently," Moore said.

"We learned that it was best to respond to child support enforcement, and we needed to know that it's best to work with them, get some help and not try to do it on your own," said Darius Washington of Sikeston, Mo.

Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium

#46 Highway 162 East

Portageville, Mo. 63873

(573) 379-2020