Governor's Excellence
in Community Action
Awarded to
Community Action's
Fatherhood Initiative
On Wednesday, May 7th, Community Action Inc., Fatherhood Initiative program was awarded the 12th Annual, Governor’s Excellence in Community Action Award recipient at the WISCAP Annual Meeting held at the Best Western’s, Inn on the Park, in Madison Wisconsin. The award was presented by a member of Governor Doyle’s cabinet, Reggie Bicha, secretary of the Department of Children and Families. The Governor and his administration recognize the vital contributions Community Action Agencies make to identify and combat the causes of poverty in Wisconsin. While all Community Action Award’s merit special recognition for their contributions and excellent work, this award is intended to distinguish one outstanding program that especially exemplifies the spirit of community action, innovative programming and valuable contributions made to low-income families and communities throughout.
In the spring of 2007, in response to a Rock County Needs Assessment, Community Action responded to a request by Stateline United Way to help young fathers with financial stability, self-sufficiency, and enhanced family strengthening in the state-line area. The Fatherhood Initiative program was then created by Community Action to support young men between the ages of 18-30 who were current residents of the Stateline area with child support issues and were 150% below the poverty level. Community Action Inc.’s Fatherhood Initiative then focused on employment attainment and retention for the unemployed/underemployed adjudicated fathers with existing child support orders. In addition, participants without a GED were given resources to obtain their diploma within one year. “Based on the experience and feedback of this pilot program, the Fatherhood Initiative achieved successful strategies and objectives to improve the lives of the young fathers in our community,” said Steve Kinkade, Executive Director of Stateline United Way. “We’ve had a long history of collaboration and cooperative efforts with Community Action and they have proved to be a great provider of needed services in the area.”
As a result of these efforts, the Fatherhood Initiative has effectively linked education, mentoring, and collaborative partnerships to help fathers maintain ongoing employment and remain actively engaged in family. With help from collaborative partners, we look forward to continuing our work. “We consider this to be a shared award and a program that would not have been possible without Stateline United Way’s vision and leadership,” said Lisa Furseth, Executive Director of Community Action.