Father’s Day a time for dads to recommit

Father’s Day is Sunday, and June is the month to celebrate the role of dads in families.

That theme was emphasized by Kaua‘i Mayor Bryan Baptiste and members of the Kaua‘i County Council in a recent proclamation presented to the Kaua‘i Dads’ Coalition at the Historic County Building last Wednesday, states a press release from Bernard Carvalho.

“This is an opportunity to connect dads as a group and emphasize the importance of their role with their children and families,” Carvalho, Kaua‘i’s representative to the statewide commission, said.

Carvalho and a group of dads were greeted by Rich Miano, one of the Hawai‘i Warriors football assistant coaches, Thomas Kaulukukui, the chair and trustee for Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center, and Mike Dias, a member of the Statewide Fatherhood Coalition.

During the presentation, some of the dads in the coalition were joined by their children and grandchildren.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that national statistics indicate that more than a quarter of American children, nearly 17 million, do not live with their father.

“Girls without a father in their life are two and a half times as likely to get pregnant and 54 percent more likely to commit suicide,” the health department said. “Boys without a father in their life are 63 percent more likely to run away and 37 percent more likely to abuse drugs.”

Kaua‘i’s Dads’ Coalition encourages dads to take a moment on Father’s Day to recommit to their responsibility to be involved in the lives of their children and families.

Some of the Kaua‘i Dads’ Coalition leaders include Carvalho, Thomas Lindsey, Barry De Blake, Lopaka Bodner, George Cummings, Kawika Rogers, Canen Ho‘okano, Richard Drapesa, Frank Ranger, Pastor Kua, Kenny Ishii and Edward Keoho.

For more information on the coalition, call Marilyn Wong at 241-4468.