KANAS CITY, Mo. — At Shelter KC, there are all sorts of programs and classes teaching men a new life skill, or a new skill for a new job.
But what about arguably one of the most important jobs of all, being a good dad?
Stats have long shown that absent fathers lead to troubled sons and daughters, so Donald Lewis travels to shelters across the city to change that.
"If we can begin to influence one dad at a time that you can be an influence in the life of your child," he said. "They need to understand that manhood is not angry, loud, or vindictive."
DeMarco Brown, who came through the shelter a few years ago, was a part of the program dubbed Good Dads.
He never had a role model to show him what to show his own kids.
"The transitions from boyhood to manhood, the rights of passage, why we do what we do," Brown said. "And I just didn't have that."
He took the class, and now he helps teach it.
“Good Dads was created to address problems in society caused by men’s absenteeism," Brown said. “I was a stepchild before becoming a stepfather. I know how difficult it is to step into the role of father. I also understand what it feels like to have no relationship with your kids.”
His first class of men graduated last week.
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