"Strong fathers...strong families:" Annual Fatherhood Summit empowers men to be better dads

MILWAUKEE -- Thousands of Milwaukee men have become better fathers thanks to the annual Fatherhood Summit. The two-day event wrapped up on Saturday, October 17th.

All under one roof, men have the tools they need to become a more successful person and in turn an effective father.

"Making sure that those resources are helping men to eliminate the barriers from their lives," said Dennis Walton, Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative.

As part of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's 10th annual Fatherhood Summit, a variety of different community partners and agencies came together to provide different information and resources to help men empower themselves.

"We have Milwaukee County Child Support Services here, WCS for driver's license recovery. We have Clean Slate Milwaukee, which helps with criminal background expungement, financial literacy," said Walton.

"This is very beneficial," said Hymon Bradshaw, volunteer and past participant.

Bradshaw knows first hand and was able to straighten out his child support.

"From the help that was given to me here, now I don't have a lien on my car anymore -- don't have a lien on my home anymore," said Bradshaw.

Folks are not only turning their lives around but re-establishing relationships.

"I'm fighting for my rights so I can spend time with my other kid," said Jesus Ortega, participant.

Jesus Ortega realizes building strong bonds is vital to the family dynamic.

"Growing up I didn't have my father and I'm just trying to break that cycle and be part of my kids' life," said Ortega.

The men recommit themselves to being involved in order to create stability.

"We believe that if we have strong fathers, we have strong families which equal stronger communities," said Walton.

If you are in need of support and guidance and missed the event, don't worry -- The Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative is an ongoing effort.

For information about contacts to the program and resources, CLICK HERE.