By Larry Stover
The Selma Times-Journal

For the last four months the Dallas County School Corporation has been working on a new campaign to find ways to get the men of our county more involved in the education process of our children and youth.

On Saturday, May 9, 2015, the “Fatherhood Initiative” will be launched with a kickoff rally to be held at Martin Middle School gym from 9 a.m. until noon.

The vision for this new initiative became a reality in January of this year.  Zella Ford, Dorothy Irvin, and Shirley Edwards, from the Dallas County Learning Resource Center, invited several community leaders from the county to participate in a discussion revolving around the need to get fathers more involved in the schools. Ms. Ford is the Federal Programs Director for Dallas County Schools. Ms. Edwards and Ms. Irvin are school corporation “Parent Facilitators.”

Out of that meeting a steering committee was formed to introduce this new initiative. Three representatives were chosen, one from each of the county school zones, to coordinate the efforts of the school system.  The Rev. John Lumpkin, pastor of the Siloam Baptist Church in Orrville, is the coordinator of the western zone that includes Keith High School and Middle School. Dr. Jeff Webb is the southern zone coordinator that includes Southside High and Tipton Middle Schools. I was chosen to be the coordinator of the northern zone that includes Dallas County High and Martin Middle schools. Others on this steering committee include Lonzy Clifton from Wallace Community College Selma and Sgt. Kendall Thomas of the Selma Police Department.

Our kickoff rally will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 9. We are asking all fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and cousins to join together to make a commitment to getting involved in the educational process of our children. We believe that men make a vial difference in the lives of their families when they get personally involved.

Throughout the years to come our Dallas County organization will have a focus on the “10 F’s of Success” for our teenage youth and their maturation into manhood: faith, family, focus, foundation, freedom, fathering, future, fixtures, finances and fitness.

Plan to join with other men and make a difference.  Martin Middle School is located at 2863 County Road 81, Valley Grande.   For more information you may contact Ms. Zella Ford at 876-4467 or Shirley Edwards and Dorothy Irvin at 872-6251.  County school students should have brought home information on this event.

Getting involved with your children’s education can be some of the most rewarding work you will ever do.  Most of all, it makes life “Simply Beautiful!”