By David Norber

As the sun came up, I had no idea what to expect. A bunch of dads were getting ready in the back parking lot at Blue Valley High School for Fist Bump Friday. The morning’s mission was clear. Give fist bumps to the arriving students, hand out breakfast sandwiches, and give kids a smile to start their day.

About 30 seconds into the event, it became clear that we were not just handing out breakfast.

We were there to make an impact; to be fully present, and to be seen. Even if the interactions were brief, the smiles on the kids faces and the pure joy on the dad’s faces after each completed fist bump was an incredible site to see.

As for my own impact moment at my first Fist Bump Friday? After running around the BVH campus taking pictures of all the dads actively engaging with students, I got the call that my daughter was arriving. I raced to the front of BVH. When she hopped out of the car, she gave me the biggest smile and the biggest hug. In that moment I was not just her dad… I was HER dad, and I was there for HER.

It was the same story for my second Fist Bump Friday. But this time, my daughter’s smile was even bigger. You want to talk about impact? At your next Fist Bump Friday, make sure you are the one to give your son or daughter a fist bump. That moment just hits differently.

At dinner that evening, our 7th grade son was listening to the stories about that morning’s events. Taking it all in; he looked at me and asked, “Can we have Father’s Club at my school?”

Being a part of Father’s Club provides dads with a unique chance to be active in our school communities. By showing up and being in the moment, you can make a positive impact not only on the kids, but on yourself.

It was my wife who recommended that I check out Father’s Club.

She pointed me in the right direction. The more I get involved, the more I see and feel the impact of Father’s Club. There are so many stories out there about the impact of Father’s Club! If you are not yet involved with Father’s Club, my question is this… what are you waiting for? Find your chapter and join with other dads that want to continue to have a positive impact in and on our schools!

Next Steps

• To get involved with a Father’s Club chapter at your school, visit the Chapters page on our website.
• If there isn’t a chapter currently at your school and you would like to know more about starting a Father’s Club chapter, visit the Contact page and fill out the form with your details and we will be in touch!

By Jason Terry, Board Member for Father’s Club

We’ve recently made quite a few changes to the Father’s Club website to make it more effective and easier to use. Let’s review the three biggest changes!

NOTIFICATION AREA

At the top of our new home page is a “notice” section that will have the most important upcoming initiative. Currently, it is December of 2025, so year end giving is incredibly important for our organization. In the notification area we have a Donate Now button and another button that links to other ways people can support Father’s Club financially.

In the months to come, we will be changing what appears in the Notification Area so that you always know what the Next Big Thing is going to be. That could be an upcoming Mission Cup Golf Event. Or an all Chapter gathering to throw bags in a park. Or a new seasonal merch store being opened for you to get your Father’s Club gear. Whenever you visit our website, you will always know what our biggest upcoming event or initiative is going to be.

JOIN NOW

The next section of our home page is the Join Now section. This also has some statistics on the current reach of Father’s Club. The Join Now button takes you to the Benefaster login. Benefaster is the Communications Platform that we use to manage event organization and chapter communications across all our chapters. If you haven’t signed up for Benefaster yet, you really need to do so. It has been in development for 2+ years, and we are adding new features and functionality all the time. Event notifications and reminders? CHECK. The ability to message other dads in your chapter? CHECK. And so much more.

There are two quick ways to get to Benefaster from the home page… the Join Now button as well as the “Benefaster Login” link in the top menu of the website. To learn more about Benefaster, click here.

BLOGS

The third main section of our home page highlights our most recent stories. (The previous version of our home page required quite a bit of scrolling to get to these stories.) One of the most important assets we have on the website is our weekly blog and these stories need to be more visible! Our blog posts give you a heartwarming glimpse into the many things that are happening across our organization, and we wanted those to be more front and center.

The home page is significantly shorter, and you can still get to everything you need to be able to get to easily.

One last tip…

We like to remind people that we have a Brand Kit available on our website with high resolution versions of our logo and the branding rules for using the various versions of our logo. With the Father’s Club brand kit, you can design banners, handouts and even have your own Father’s Club merchandise created with a promotional products company. You can get to the Father’s Club Brand Kit under About | Branding Kit or by clicking here.

Always Improving

We will always be looking for ways to improve the way we communicate across our organization. Efficient and effective communication will allow us to impact more dads and more kids in a positive way. And that is why we exist! If you have any thoughts or feedback on these efforts, we would love to hear from you in the comments below or on our social media posts. Thanks for being on this journey with us!

By Dan Viall, Chapter Co-Chair at Blue Valley West for Father’s Club

Recently, the Blue Valley West Father’s Club partnered with our Counseling Team to host a first-ever Mental Health Awareness Poster Contest. The students absolutely showed up with creativity, compassion, and powerful messages of support for their peers! Our Father’s Club Leadership Team picked the Top 5 winners and we then rolled them out via a daily social media campaign.

We invited the entire advisory class from each of the winning artists to a special event after lunch for some gourmet cupcakes and mental health awareness wristbands compliments of Father’s Club.

All we did as a chapter was brainstorm with the Counseling Team, provide the supplies, support the social media campaign (which generated thousands of views from students) and then showed up with food and some fist bumps.

“The Blue Valley West Counseling Department loved partnering with Father’s Club on the Mental Health Awareness Poster Contest! Our students really leaned in, putting their creativity and energy into crafting positive messages that inspire and uplift our community. We are so grateful to the BVW Father’s Club for championing mental wellness and helping to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health!” – Theresa Middleton, Blue Valley West Counselor

As dads, we know that life’s challenges can sometimes be difficult… for you and your kids. Whether you or someone you care about is facing some mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is there to help. You are not alone!

By Mike Davisson, Executive Director for Father’s Club

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’re reminded of the power of presence—around the table at home, on the sidelines and in the stands, in school hallways, at football tailgates, working concessions and in the heart of our communities serving others. It’s a perfect time to reflect on the impact of a special group of men who consistently Just Show Up to serve, support, and impact the lives of others.

This Thanksgiving, I want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to ALL the DADS who make up our vibrant and growing Father’s Club. You are more than volunteers — you are role models, encouragers and difference-makers who show up with purpose, heart and intentionality.  Your present is felt and makes a difference in the lives of others.

In just the first three months of the school year, we have already engaged with Students, Faculty, Administration, the Community & other DADS over 150 different times across 35+ schools.  Every event and interaction brings energy, encouragement, and joy into schools and neighborhoods by DADS who make the conscious decision to Just Show Up. You are shaping culture, building connections, and redefining what it means to be a present and intentional father.

🖐️ Fist Bump Fridays – Providing First Bumps, High Fives, Encouraging Words and Smiles.  These small moments are making a big difference in the lives of students every week.

☕ Dad Coffees & Happy Hours – Building brotherhood, showing support, sharing stories, and reminding each other that we’re not in this journey alone.

🍔 Tailgates & Concessions – From the grill to the stands, you’ve created welcoming spaces where students, parents, and faculty can come together and celebrate what makes school spirit truly special.

🍎 Teacher Appreciation Events – You’ve honored and uplifted the educators who pour so much into our children. Your efforts remind them that their work is noticed and deeply appreciated.

Fathers’ Club is all about creating time, showing up, and showing everyone that DADS play a powerful role in their lives and their communities.  Let’s ensure we do this with our own families as we celebrate Thanksgiving, watch our favorite football team play a on a short week, take a tryptophan induced nap, play board games or whatever your holiday tradition is.

Thank you for your time, your energy and your heart.

Thank you for being intentional, present and impactful.

Happy Thanksgiving!
We’ll see you at the next event — with coffee in one hand and a fist bump ready in the other.

By Charles Dahm, Blue Valley District Chair for Father’s Club

Have you ever felt like you’re spending too much time looking at your phone? Who hasn’t?! Consider spending just 11.5 more minutes doing just that by watching the TED Talks video below – it may dramatically change the way you view social media and the actual cost of your favorite accounts. You might say, “Well, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram are all FREE.” But are they?

Dino Ambrosi, a digital wellness speaker and founder of Project Reboot delivered his short TED Talk in 2023 to encourage young people to consider what their time is worth and to visualize the impact of the opportunity costs of daily social media consumption. He provides graphics to illustrate these points that are compelling — if not MIND BLOWING.

Ambrosi believes young people will reconsider their screen habits when they understand the value of their time and rethink the business models that keep social media “free”.  He says you pay for social media with your TIME. Social media accounts monetize time and carefully curate content to maximize the amount of content consumed by users.

Further, he illustrates that screen time is not an investment in happiness and fulfillment – rather it retrains our brains to encourage rapid switching of our attention while deleteriously modifying how we see ourselves and the world.

HAVE A WATCH PARTY!  I’ve shared this short video with friends and family – each time there are silent gasps when the presenter reveals the staggering number of MONTHS young people are projected to spend looking at their phones. Brad Holdhusen says that when he shared this video with kids and adults, “It really opens their eyes to the time drain caused by social media and leads to some great conversations about what really matters in life – real people and real connections.”

Check it out and share it – ironic I know, but maybe even on social media.

The Battle for Your Time: Exposing the Costs of Social Media | Dino Ambrosi | TEDxLagunaBlancaSchool