By Todd Milner, Director of Mental Health and Wellness/Board Member for Father’s Club

At the end of 2023, I announced a series of Mental Health and Well Being Essentials courses that would be offered in the first quarter of 2024. Father’s Club kicked off its 2024 Mental Health & Wellbeing Essentials workshops In January! 25 dads gathered to learn skills and be better equipped to talk about mental wellbeing with their families, their buddies, and their communities!

Our goal is to train 1,000 dads in 2024 and we have gotten off to a great start!

This course introduces and expands upon the fundamentals of mental health and well-being. Participants will gain an understanding of what impacts our mental health, common challenges, and the importance of emotional and psychological well-being. Men, in particular, often tend to disguise and quash issues related to their friends’ or their own mental health. Attendees will learn why this is an important topic to Father’s Club through presentation and group discussion. At the conclusion of the course, we will learn how we can all make a difference in our lives, at home and in our community.

An important element of the workshop is QPR (Question, Persuade & Refer)

QPR is a suicide prevention training for the participants to be able to recognize the warning signs of suicide by learning how to question, persuade, and refer people at risk for suicide for help.

Not only will the attendees leave the workshop better equipped to handle hard conversations, but they will take with them a 2-year QPR certification, a Father’s Club Challenge Medallion and a toolbox full of ways to help others struggling or in crisis find help, healing and resilience!

A main objective of the courses is to add Three simple things to each dad’s toolbox that allow them to help them to be intentional about their own mental wellbeing, as well as lead their families in learning how to be more resilient. Father’s Club’s Mental Health & Wellbeing Essentials Workshops teach and discuss very simple, but important rules of how to…

1. Find Quiet Time – work on YOU! Unplug daily or Take inventory of what’s working and what’s not in YOU!
2. Do something with your family each week! No phones, no complaining, no big family meeting, no Just find time to talk & LISTEN!
3. Do something to impact others? Write a handwritten note to your kids, your spouse and those who need an encouraging word! Make a phone call or go grab coffee with someone who just needs someone to listen to them!

Take the Course!

Several courses have been scheduled in the first six months of this year, and several more are expected to be planned in the second half of the year. Signing up is very easy: Simply click on the Events page of the Father’s Club website, click on a Mental Health + Workshop event that is convenient for you, and register. There is a $40 fee that is requested in the application process to help defray expenses, which includes a light meal and some materials.

Don’t hesitate to take advantage of this exceptional opportunity to help you become aware of some simple tools that will make a huge difference in your life and the lives of your loved ones.

By Mike Davisson, Executive Director/Olathe Regional Director/Board Member for Father’s Club

Olathe East dads hosted Olathe South dads in a first ever shooting competition at halftime of the rivalry basketball game between these two Olathe high schools. In front of a packed house, four dads from each school had to complete a combined five layups, three free throws, two 3-pointers and a half court shot to become the winning team.

The prize? The winning team of dads earned pizza for their respective student section!

After a few missed layups and put backs, the Olathe East dads got hot and were able to hit the winning half court shot on their first attempt and edged out the Olathe South dads. It was an electric moment of KIDS going wild for Dads. Tyler Cook was quoted saying, “We (Father’s Club) are typically the ones cheering on our students, last night they cheered for us. That’s pretty awesome if you think about it.”

Olathe South Principal, Sean DeMaree, said this needs to become an annual tradition and looked forward to hosting the event at Olathe South next year.

The players, not wanting to be upstaged by the dads, played an excellent game. It was highlighted by two ties and three lead changes in the final two minutes of the game culminating with a Olathe East game winning put back of a missed shot as time expired.

This. Was. Awesome.

The comments from students, moms, dads and administrators from both schools were overwhelming positive. We were able to recruit some new dads and this was strong exposure for Father’s Club and our desire to be intentionally involved.

A special thank you to Father’s Club Chapter Chairs Tyler Cook and Brody Dorland for their organization and execution. Also, thanks to Olathe East Principal, Kerry Lane, and Athletic Director, Mike Wolgast, and their teams for partnering with Father’s Club and helping make this a great success!

By Dan Holdhusen, Grandfather of three graduates and one currently enrolled in Blue Valley High School

The Mission of the Father’s Club is expressed no better than by a group of hard-core dads at Blue Valley West (BVW) High School in Overland Park. BVW has had an incredible and active group of fathers that have been engaged in a number of activities and events as one of the first chapters formed since Father’s Club originated five years ago.

What does it take to succeed?

A key catalyst of BVW’s success in living out the Father’s Club Mission in support of students, teachers and the greater community has been a constant stream of great leaders. The current leadership team consists of Clay Norkey, Kevin Saylan, Dan Viall, and Danny Mayer. As any outstanding leader understands, these four dads acknowledge they would be unable to accomplish anything without a multitude of dads who have been willing to step up for the good of the cause.

BVW’s leadership has capitalized on the energy and willingness of a large group of dads who have been willing to enthusiastically show up, roll up their sleeves, and, as the Father’s Club Mission Statement declares, “be intentional with their KIDS, with other DADS and within their COMMUNITY.” There is no better example of their intentionality than their sentinel activity to support school spirit and financial support: running the fall football concessions sales.

Father’s Club and football concessions!

Because all Father’s Club financial support is fund-raised, BVW must rely on donations and its own organized activities. A few years ago, the BVW’s chapter was asked by school administrators to assume the concessions sales for fall football games. Clay Norkey saw an opportunity to use this service to raise funds to help support the school. While other donations are used for dad-only activities such as social events and mental-health training, EVERY dollar raised by Father’s Club through concession sales is poured back into the school through a variety of Father’s Club initiatives and partnerships.

The Father’s Club just completed its fourth year of managing the concession sales. The first year occurred in 2020, when school activities were dramatically altered because of the COVID pandemic. Despite the challenges faced by BVW’s Father’s Club – with limited school attendance and restricted programming – the leaders solicited local donations of candy, snacks, and bottled water that they bundled into sacks and handed out to families as they arrived to watch their kids play. It was an attempt at normalcy in an abnormal world. The snack packs were free, but the fans responded with over $1,000 in donations!. The dad leaders knew that, despite that first challenging year, they were off to a great start.

The past three years of concession sales have been crisp, with sales increasing each year to help support BVW programs and events. In order for that to occur, it has taken a massive number of dads and an organizational effort that continues to grow and improve each year.

The Nitty Gritty

Consider all the work and organization that goes on behind the scenes by West’s Father’s Club members to make this happen:

• It takes 15-20 dads and sometimes their kids to staff the home concession booth for each BVW home game.
• West’s Father’s Club also gives other school organizations the ability to raise funds for their own programs by staffing the visitor side stand, which mutually benefits the chapter by alleviating a staffing issue and the participating groups by providing a good return to fund their own initiatives. Cross Country, DECA, Debate, and the Dance Team have all stepped up so far, with others on a waiting list.
• Volunteers are recruited through word-of-mouth, GroupMe, social media, the chapter’s email newsletter, school-wide principal emails, and announcements at other events. They use Sign Up Genius to ensure adequate coverage and many willing dads have enthusiastically come forward.
• Enough volunteers are needed for each game for four “shifts” (pre-game prep a day or two before the event; set-up prep just prior to each game; first half through halftime; and halftime through final clean up.)
• Many volunteers also “just show up” (a Father’s Club and BVW mantra). A lack of helping hands has never been an issue.
• Dads often have their kids join in to assist with sales, which creates valuable and lasting memories for all. See this blog by Dan Viall, one of BVW’s leaders, which shares his heart-warming testimony of the bond it has created in his personal life with his daughter.
• Sales inventory is, of course, not a small matter. A core group of dads coordinate, purchase, and deliver concessions for resale for each of the games.
• The Father’s Club dads also collaborate closely with the school’s football staff who provide freshmen and sophomore players to use their muscle to move beverages and other inventory to where sales occur a day or two before each game.
• In addition to the sales, the BVW dads distribute snacks to game officials and the flag crew during the halftime of each game, as well as complimentary sandwiches, snacks, and beverages to each official and key administrators following each contest.
• The dads even established a new West tradition: The Hot Dog Toss! It’s a “signature moment” that has gained popularity at each game. The dads march down the track at the end of the third quarter and toss hot dogs and candy into the student section. The kids love it!
• Procedures have been put into place that ensure proper handling and accountability of the proceeds before, during, and after each game. Funds are managed with top-notch integrity by the leadership team.

This is an abbreviated list of all the organization and effort by Father’s Club dads that goes into concession sales fundraising to support efforts and programs at Blue Valley West High School.

So, you ask, what is done with the funds raised by the BVW Father’s Club concession sales efforts? The answer: a plethora of remarkable things that support West’s students, teachers, and community, such as:

The Plethora of Remarkable Things

• Leading numerous Fist Bump for Food (FB4F) events throughout the year to support the students, teachers, administrators, and others that are part of the BVW community. During a recent event, the Father’s Club handed out 1,000 donuts to encourage students during finals week.
• Sponsoring teacher appreciation events such as faculty luncheons; an annual Faculty Family Night for teachers with burgers, dogs, snacks, and drinks during the spring sports-a-palooza when four or five events happen on campus at once; Morning coffees by bringing in baristas and portable coffeeshops for morning coffees, teacher and staff luncheons; and joining with the PTO to provide teacher-appreciation gifts.
• Partnering with the Counseling Team to envision and dream up ways to support the work they do with and for the students.
• Hosting The Jaguar Grill, where dads cook out, hang out, and play games with the students over extended lunch periods twice per year.
• Awarding mental-health focused scholarships to deserving students who have demonstrated perseverance in the face of crisis and now share their stories in a way that increases awareness and reduces the stigma of mental-health issues, and engaged in other mental-health initiatives for improving, raising awareness, or reducing the stigma of mental-health issues. In 2023, a total of $2,500 in scholarships were awarded to five worthy graduates.
• Hosting an annual informational night at the beginning of each school year (an event promoted by the school-wide newsletter, Jaguar Journal) to introduce new dads to the Father’s Club and suggest ways they can become involved. This year, fifty dads showed up!
• Organizing and hosting other “social” events for dads throughout the school year to build camaraderie, connect with and support each other, and even discuss additional ideas of how the Father’s Club can produce innovative ideas or improve existing ways to build on and improve existing efforts.
• Periodically meeting with school administrators and student leaders for mutual encouragement and to learn how Father’s Club can best serve the BVW community
• And much, much more.

By being intentional in raising funds with its concession sales efforts and in a variety of other ways, the Blue Valley West chapter dads display the Father’s Club Core Values that have made its mission work vibrant and thrive. Awesome.

By Jason Terry, Jason Moxness and Mike Davisson

One of the things that is so much fun about being involved with Father’s Club is that it brings people together. This is a story about a series of conversations that turned into an amazing opportunity to watch the KC Chiefs play football in Germany in true tailgate fashion, while eating pancakes and surrounded by a bunch of beautiful Porsches.

Jason Terry’s Comments

I have been working with Father’s Club since June of 2019. What started out as a pro bono website development project has turned into a cause that I am incredibly passionate about. The idea of dads coming together to be intentional with their kids is something so incredibly important! And it makes sense that dads end up supporting each other through the process as well. Today, I maintain the website for Father’s Club, make sure the blog posts are happening and supporting the organization from a technical perspective in various ways.

Jason Moxness and I are close friends. I had been sharing stories about Father’s Club for months and he wanted to do something to support them. He came up with the idea of having a KC Chiefs watch party/fundraiser to benefit Father’s Club, and in typical fashion, he pulled a bunch of people together to make it a day to remember.

Jason Moxness’s Comments

Acting on nudges is something that I try and pay attention to and this event was one of those nudges. With an idea, some creativity, a few generous friends and a short amount of time we were able to pull together an amazing event. We love hosting parties at the Carriage House Garages in De Soto, but this time I thought – let’s have a party with a purpose! Let’s start with the idea of a KC Chiefs tailgate party and take it up a notch by adding all you can eat pancakes (thank you Chris Cakes!), bottomless Bloody Mary’s (thank you GJ’s Bloody Mary’s and Clear Ten Vodka!), beautiful cars (thank you Porsche Club of KC!) and generous friends and neighbors (you know who you are :)

After serving 250 people, we were able to raise $4,500 for Father’s Club – not bad for a first year event. The Father’s Club Mission Statement is closely aligned with my personal belief system and is an organization that I will continue to support. I encourage others to do the same!

Mike Davisson’s Comments

Porsches & Pancakes was our first fundraising event outside of our annual golf tournament and what a great event it was! Cool cars; Chris Cakes breakfast; Chiefs football and an opportunity to do life together was at the heart of the event. In addition to added pics on our camera roles; to full bellies and a Chiefs victory over Miami, we were able to share the story of Father’s Club and the impact we are having in our communities. Subsequently, additional dads joined Father’s Club; others became aware of us for the first time and yet others have continued to provide opportunities for additional conversations to communicate our mission.

I personally want to thank and recognize Jason & Paige Moxness as well as the entire Carriage House community of supporters that presented the idea and executed flawlessly on a great event that provided a venue to have fun watching the Chiefs; enjoying community; spreading the story of Father’s Club and raising funds for our mission.