Father’s Club Joins with Corporate Partner, Fidelity Bank, to Host Signature Event

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

A gaggle of Father’s Club dads gathered before the sun rose on a recent Friday morning in the far reaches of Blue Valley High School’s campus. They were preparing to man every entrance to the school to distribute chicken breakfast sandwiches and “high fives” to students who would be arriving for the beginning of another school day on a crisp, fall day. These sorts of eagerly awaited events are pretty common on many campuses across the Kansas City metro that have active Father’s Club chapters, but this event was just a bit more unique.

A New Partnership is Formed

A few months ago, Chris Caton, one of the Father’s Club dads at Blue Valley High School had a novel idea. Chris is a Residential Loan Officer at Fidelity Bank in Overland Park and also happens to be a father with children in the Blue Valley school district. He reached out to the leadership at the Father’s Club with the idea of his employer partnering in funding and participating in a series of “Fist Bump for Food” (FB4F) events at Blue Valley High School during the ’24-’25 school year.

It did not take long for Chris and the leaders of Fidelity Bank and Father’s Club to finalize plans – together with a substantial gift from the bank – to organize its first FB4F event, which occurred on November 8th at Blue Valley High School. After he conceived of the idea, Chris said, “I suggested to my colleagues at Fidelity Bank that partnering with the Father’s Club would be an excellent way to connect with students and staff to get their day off to a great start! They thought it was a great idea and jumped right in!”

Fidelity Bank is a fourth-generation family-owned bank which has its core operation in Wichita, KS, and has a large branch located in Overland Park, KS. The bank has a long history of giving back to the communities in which it serves and partnering with organizations with like missions and values.

“The Fidelity Bank legacy is one of generous community investment, charitable support and volunteerism. Through our actions, we serve as a catalyst for building community spirit and celebrating our cities because our success is unconditionally linked.”

Several of Chris’s colleagues in their Fidelity Bank red shirts participated along with many dads in distributing smiles, high fives, hugs, and hundreds of chicken biscuit sandwiches. “It was great to see so many kids, teachers, and administrators thanking us and expressing their gratitude for a great start to their day,” Chris remarked as the kids moved to their classrooms in advance of bell announcing the start of the school day.

The Fidelity Bank partnership and FB4F Event – both HUGE Successes!

The Blue Valley High School event was a first of its kind – where the Father’s Club partnered with a corporate sponsor to host an event at the school. Mike Davisson, the Father’s Club Executive Director, commented that, “we have many generous corporate sponsors and supporters that have come alongside us, but this marks the first time we have had a corporate partner join us in financially supporting one of our signature FB4F events. It was a win-win-win for Fidelity Bank, Father’s Club, and of course students and staff, and we’d love to see more of these occur. The kids loved it!”

A highlight of the day for the dads and Fidelity Bank partners was a warm greeting and expression of thanks from Dr. Charles Golden, Blue Valley High School’s Principal for hosting the event. Not only did he offer his sincere thanks to the group of hosts, but he made sure he left with his own breakfast biscuit to start his day!