This week’s for the Dads Doing It Right series I wanted to talk about some dads who are educating the world to be more inclusive. We all want our kids to thrive and these fathers are trying to make that possible for their kids. If there are any other dads that you think we should check out leave their site in the comment section below.
Anthony Parisi – Raising Awareness For An Inclusive World
Anthony’s son, James was diagnosed with LAMA2 Congenital Muscular Dystrophy at 5 months of age. This is rare genetic disease for which there is no cure. Anthony wants to make sure his son can experience all the things that other kids can experience. To this he is looking to bring awareness on how we call can help with that. One thing that Anthony is doing is raising awareness around the importance of these designated parking spots and loading zones next to them. Anthony and his family are doing this by making sure James is going out into a world that is inclusive, accessible, safe and kind. Their hope is that in spreading awareness on things like this we are one step closer in creating that world for him and others like him.
Matt Dorgan – The Need For Taking Care Of Your Mental Health
Mental health has been in the news more and more these days. We need to talk about how can be there for others in all aspects of their lives. For Matt Dorgan, he wants to make sure parents talk about mental health with their kids. Sadly, Matt Dorgan’s 15-year-old daughter, Brianna Dorgan, had told her father repeatedly she wanted to die and tried to end her life at least once before she fatally shot herself last year. The Dorgans got medical help for her but she still took her life. Now Matt wants to share her story in the hope that it will help save others. Matt has created fundraisers for communities to help raise awareness for parents talking to their kids about mental health. For more information click here.
Tim Boyce – Running For A Good Cause While Fighting Cancer
Tim Boyce was diagnosed with stage three rectal cancer. A father to three, Tim couldn’t believe the diagnosis. To try and stay positive he and his family started doing things to raise money and awareness for those fighting cancer and other diseases. Tim’s sister-in-law, Lisa Darvill helped to start things in motion. They started raising money for Rainbow Trust. The Rainbow Trust looks to support families with a life-threatened or terminally ill child. Last week Tim had his last round of chemotherapy. Keep fighting the good fight Tim and thanks to you and your family for raising money for others.
Rick Martinez – Bringing Joy To Kids Everywhere
Rick Martinez loves to bring joy to children in any way he can. He dedicates his life to volunteering with hospitals, libraries, schools, and many other community organizations. After more than a decade of volunteering as a pirate and reading other authors’ works, he embarked on his own adventure and began writing children’s books. His mission is to restore reading and using the imagination in all of humankind. To inspire parents, to empower children, and to remind the world, nothing is impossible. For more on Rick go to his website.