Never Underestimate the Power of Donuts: Olathe South Feast Before Finals

By Jason Terry, Board Member for Father’s Club

It was a rainy morning. It was early. And it was a finals day at Olathe South high school. So what did we do? We showed up for the kids… it’s that simple. Just show up.

You can see in the picture of Brody’s car that we had about 1,200 donuts to give out to students as they walked into school before a day of taking finals. (Brody Dorland with the thumbs up and Mike Tireman with the peace sign.) These are the Co-Chapter Chairs for Olathe South. And they work hard to keep us organized and making sure all the Dads are plugged in with opportunities to connect with each other and the kids. Brody had gone extra early to get all those donuts loaded up to distribute to the various entrances we cover at the school. (Usually 4 or 5 entrances!)

Do you remember what it was like to head to school to take finals?

I sure do. It was a mixture of fear (doing well on the tests) and excitement (ready for summer break to begin!) Add the rainy morning to that and it would have been easy to have a tougher start to the day emotionally for some. I can tell you from watching all the kids coming in the door where I was helping that multiple kids broke into big smiles when they saw us. It could have been the stack of donuts on the tables we had set up… but I like to think it was a little bit of both.

There are always kids that are shy. And kids that are really outgoing.

Every interaction is meaningful. If you can make a connection with a shy kid, great. But we never push it. My favorite is seeing them crack a little smile after a fist bump or taking a donut. I know that they’ve overcome whatever was keeping them inside their shell, even if it was for a brief moment. And the outgoing kids will say they love seeing us there… that it starts their day off better as a result. And yes, there are some that chuckle at us because we are not cool. And the fact that I used the word “cool” proves the point I guess.

Some of the Father’s Club dads that were handing out donuts knew the kids from sports like basketball or football. Others knew kids from the music department. It was a fast and furious series of connections accelerated by the sugar in the donuts. Lots of fist bumps. Lots of napkins. And more importantly, lots of smiles.

I really do think we make a difference when we show up for the children in our lives. For me, my nephew Will goes to Olathe South and I know he appreciates my efforts. Why? Because if I am not there when Father’s Club is there, he mentions that he missed me. Talk about motivation to show up whenever I can!

I hope you are actively involved in a Father’s Club chapter.

If not, use the links below to find a connection point. You will be glad you did!

• 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!