“A Father’s Place, Prince George’s County” Helps Dads Get A Better Chance To Be Great Parents

Patricia Strong, Marketing and Outreach Manager, Geneva Ware-Rice, Program Director, Fareeha Quaiyum, Program Coach, Silverio Jimenez-Staten, Program Manager, and Ariel Ventura-Lazo, Program Coach and daughter Naliya Ventura-Omar.

By Raoul Dennis And D.A. Phillips // Photography By Raoul Dennis and Carol Day

Additional Reporting By Maria D. James

For many fathers, the largest challenge they have with their children is just getting to see and know them. A Father’s Place, Prince George’s County, a new program in Prince George’s, has formed to help close the gap.

A Father’s Place, Prince George’s County serves fathers 18 years old and older, who have at least one child living in Prince George’s. Fathers who have an active child support case in the county are also eligible to apply. It’s a free program.

“Every child deserves the opportunity to build a relationship with their father,” says Geneva Ware-Rice, founder and Program Director for A Father’s Place, Prince George’s. Ware-Rice led an extraordinary career aiding families at the federal level. “I have lived in Prince George’s County since 1993 and It was time to take care of home. As a former Branch Chief in the Office of Family Assistance, I knew about this funding, and I accepted the call to pull together a team and go after this funding for fathers and their families in Prince George’s County.”

Ware-Rice understood well the need for such a program.

“The infant mortality rate for Prince George’s County is 8.2%, compared with 6.4% for the state of Maryland and 5.8% for the U.S.,” says Ware-Rice. “Data from 2016 shows that out of 24 Maryland counties, Prince George’s County had high rates of crime, ranking: second highest in murder; fourth highest in rape; second highest in robberies; third highest in aggravated assault; third highest in breaking and entering; third highest in larceny-theft; second highest motor vehicle theft; and sixth-highest in domestically related crimes (2016 Uniform Crime Report). While these numbers provide a grim outlook for residents within the county, AFPPGC aims to invest in our fathers, who can serve as a protective factor for children, family, and community.”

Funded by the Office of Family Assistance, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the program provides high-impact services in the areas of healthy relationship education, nurturing parenting, and economic and financial stability and mobility. The AFPPGC mission is to promote fathers as the essential component to building stronger children, families, communities, and society by providing high-impact services that support, enhance, and advance responsible fatherhood in Prince George's County.

Fathers are assigned a program coach who helps fathers customize the services needed to be their best self as a father, a husband, a co-parent, and an employee or businessman.

As a group, fathers attend 50-hours of sessions designed to enhance skills, increase social capital, and support increased father and child engagement. Fathers are provided with resources and incentives to remove barriers to participation.

See the comments below from county dads who were part of the program’s first class of cohorts.

Leon Cook

Cook learned about A Father’s Place, Prince George’s County on a community Facebook page of the Oak Creek Community. “I decided to participate because, at the time, I was at a crossroad transitioning from a 24-year military career and recently adopting 4 and 5-year-old kids. I thought that the program offered things that I was having a hard time balancing at the time, and the program ended up exceeding my expectations,” Cook says.

He says that he’s already learned several things through the program.

“I’ve learned many things, most notably my ability to balance the dynamics of my relationship with my spouse, my adopted son and daughter, my colleagues, and members of my community. I was able to forge new relationships and become part of an awesome team of fathers.”

Cameron Guiland-Collins

Guiland-Collins came to the program through a family member.

“Once I started learning about the program and what they were trying to do specifically for fathers throughout the County, I immediately saw an opportunity for growth not just as a father but also as a human being,” he says. “The five-week program gave me the tools that allowed me to hone in on specific skills as a father while also helping me pave a path towards a more successful future for myself and my child.”

Ronald Horne, Jr.

Horne appreciated the many areas that A Father’s Place, Prince George’s County offered him. “[I wanted] the help offered financially and socially, amongst other fathers directly in my county. I thought that concept was practical and needed. I learned yet again that I'm NOT ALONE in my challenges of fatherhood–especially during a pandemic. Every aspect of life was affected in a pandemic, everyone required help. What better help than other fathers in your own area.”

Antonio Mitchell

It was Antonio Mitchell’s wife who introduced him to A Father's Place, Prince George's County.

“My wife came across A Father's Place, Prince George's County Facebook page, and shared it with me. I saw it as a great networking opportunity, so I completed the registration process. Participating in this program quickly helped me to realize that this initiative was bigger than just gaining potential contacts for future reference. This program was a life-changing experience in which I became part of a brotherhood that I am truly proud to be a part of. I’ll continue to share the mission of A Father's Place, Prince George's County so that we can build better families, which will help to build better communities.”

Mitchell says the experience has helped him to realize his blessings.

“Being a father is a blessing, and as fathers, we should seek to be the nurturing leaders God has created us to be,” he says.

Vincent Stewart

For Stewart, a billboard on Route 1 started it all. He literally saw a sign that changed his life.

“I learned about A Father's Place, Prince George's County, when I was driving on Route 1 headed towards Laurel. I saw a sign, and if I'm not mistaken, it said something along the lines of ‘Father's Need Help Too.’ I’m currently getting divorced, and my daughter has been living with me since me and my now co-parent separated. The process has been a roller coaster, and at times I felt like I had to cope with everything on my own, so when I saw the sign, I immediately called to inquire about the organization,” he said.

“Oftentimes, men don't ask for help, or we feel like we can do everything on our own, even when we are running on fumes. I felt like that billboard was a sign to push me in the direction of finding a support group that will help me cope with my situation. Furthermore, I have always been told that I would be a good father, and once my daughter was born, people said that I am a good father, but at the same time, I had doubts because it's not like we get to go to school to learn about parenting or fatherhood. So, another factor that motivated me to join the organization was that I wanted reassurance. I wanted to learn more about fatherhood and how to do it right because the stakes are so high. It's my daughter's future on the line, and I want to provide her with the best tools to maneuver and excel in society.”

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The program gave Stewart deeper perspective and real tools to be a better father and husband.

“I learned a lot in the program. First and foremost, I am not the only person who needs help. Fathers of all ages and experience, married and unmarried, can benefit from this organization. What stuck with me, though, from the group were the lessons on relationship building. I received a valuable tool from A Father's Place, Prince George's County that will help me build and maintain a healthy relationship with my future partner/spouse by learning about the five pillars of intimacy. I think that the five pillars are a very detailed and multidimensional guideline for forging and sustaining healthy relationships. The program also reassured me that I am doing a great job as a single father to my daughter, and thus it encouraged me to continue learning about fatherhood, but at the same time, to keep doing a lot of what I have been doing. Lastly, the program helped me to evaluate myself as an individual. Specifically speaking, it helped me get rid of hoarded emotional clutter and create a path for life-changing self-improvement.”

During this first year, the goal is to serve 65 fathers.

Says A Father’s Place, Prince George’s County Marketing and Outreach Manager Patricia Strong: “We held our first group session in May, and five fathers completed the 50-hour session on June 4. The second group session began on June 8, and six fathers are part of this group. We are currently recruiting fathers for group sessions scheduled to start in July and August.”

We currently have a partnership with Prince George’s County Child Support Administration, The H.O.P.E. Project, Community Advocates for Families and Youth, and BTST. These partners provide services as well as serve as a referral source for fathers.

As you know, grant funding is time-limited. and we will have to work with the fathers, stakeholders, partners, and community to sustain this program. We are just getting started, and we know that we have to prove that our services will yield a good return on investment. We are value-driven, and we collect data to show our impact.

Marvina Taylor, Data Manager. PHOTO: CAROL DAY // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

The current participants say that they would recommend A Fathers Place, Prince George’s County.

“Not only would I recommend this program; it has influenced me so much that I feel like I’m an ambassador for the organization already,” Stewart says.

Horne: “I would definitely suggest the program [for others]. For better mental health options, crisis management, healthy social family interaction, options to financial help, healthy time family ratios, etc. It's pretty comprehensive. I expect the program to get even better as they continue, and I'm willing to help in that.”

Geneva Ware-Rice, Program Director and founder of A Father’s Place, Prince George’s County. PHOTO: RAOUL DENNIS // PRINCE GEORGE’S SUITE MAGAZINE & MEDIA

Cook says, “Most definitely,” when asked about introducing the program to others. “I plan on being an advocate for this much-needed program in our community. What this program offers can't be found anywhere else in our community. Although it's only a five-week program, the curriculum covers a variety of subjects that fathers may be struggling with; it changes your perspective of fatherhood and allows each individual to become the best version of themselves. It also provides resources that can assist those Fathers who may be working towards achieving financial stability. Best of all, you become a part of something truly special and can also be life-changing. We need these kinds of positive alliances within our community—fathers building and supporting other fathers.”

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Guiland-Collins agrees.

“I would recommend this program 100% because I believe it is a great opportunity for any type of father in any type of circumstance to improve no matter where they are in life. Their skill-based developmental practices cater to a wide range of core values that any father can use to not only improve their relationship with their sons or daughters, as well as family and friends, but also allows you to emphasize the best qualities that make you the best you. I truly believe this program is a perfect stepping stone for anyone who is simply looking to do better in this life.”