Submitted by Monica Newsome
BARRINGTON, IL, — In 2017, the 21st Century Dads Foundation launched the Special Fathers Network (SFN), a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. SFN matches new fathers with Mentor Fathers from similar backgrounds who have faced similar challenges.
“SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs,” explained David Hirsch, founder of the 21st Century Dads Foundation. “The SFN Mentor Fathers do not offer legal or medical advice; that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.”
Among the SFN’s other resources for fathers are the Dad to Dad Podcast and audiobooks featuring collections of inspirational stories drawn from the podcasts and grouped by subject matter.
Cerebral Palsy Stories: From the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcasts is the fourth in the series and is a compilation of 12 stories told from the perspectives of fathers raising children with cerebral Palsy. Each of the 12 chapters includes a heartfelt story by a father who has also agreed to serve as an SFN Mentor Father, including Mark Miller, an executive with Chick-Fil-A who also provides the foreword.
The fifth and newest audiobook in the series, On Losing A Child: From the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcasts, features emotional accounts from 12 fathers who have lost a child. Kim “Rooster” Rossiter, founder of Ainsley’s Angels, provides the foreword.
“We encourage every father of a special needs child to become a Mentor Father for the opportunity to provide hope, inspiration and courage to those newly touched by the news of having a special needs child,” Hirsch added.
About the Author
David Hirsch is one of the country’s most outspoken advocates for father involvement. He is the founder of Illinois Fatherhood Initiative, the country’s first state-wide nonprofit fatherhood organization, as well as the 21st Century Dads Foundation. His TEDx Talk, “Why We Need to Break the Cycle of Father Absence,” has been viewed more than 34,000 times. He is also the host of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast and the author of six books, including 21st Century Dads: A Father’s Journey to Break the Cycle of Father Absence, and five compilations from the SFN Dad to Dad Podcasts.
A wealth manager with 39 years of experience, he earned his MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois. He was also a Kellogg National Fellow with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, one of the country’s most well recognized interdisciplinary leadership programs.
He and his wife, Peggy, have been married for 40 years and are the proud parents of five adult children as well as two grandchildren. They live in Barrington Hills. His interests include reading, underwater photography, fishing and endurance sports.
For more information, please visit https://21stcenturydads.org/.
Audiobooks available from Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/Cerebral-Palsy-Stories-SFN-Podcasts-ebook/dp/B0CCLN6RWV and https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Child-Stories-SFN-Podcasts-ebook/dp/B0CJYM8CKV.
