Plenty to be thankful for this season.

By Jim Bradford, Chapter Co-Chair at Mission Trail Middle School for Father’s Club

As Thanksgiving approaches, it always seems to be the time of year when we take stock, reflect and appreciate everything a little bit more.

It happens every year and we can’t get enough of the love. As soon as the leaves start to fall and the temperatures dip into the 40s on a daily basis, we turn our attention to the holidays, family and reflection. When things come to an end – like a year – you can’t help being reflective.

And being reflective, when it comes to Father’s Club, you can’t help but smile. What we’ve done over the course of the past few years in the KC area is nothing short of amazing. And it’s all about those lives we help enrich.

For that, we are thankful. Thankful for so many things and so many people that make the Father’s Club work all across the KC metro area. Not just at the high school level, but at our middle schools, where several of our new Father’s Club chapters are taking root. It’s not easy getting a foothold in those communities – high school and middle school – but with some great, dedicated dads who are tremendous servant leaders, the success stories are plentiful.

Thank you, staff and administration

Where would we be without the willingness of the staff and administrators who let us in the building? Well, outside looking in, that’s where we’d be. Thank you so much to those principals and administrative assistants that welcomed us with open arms. Thank you to the teachers and counselors who help us engage with the students.

Each of you represents the pulse of the building, you know what’s going on. You can help point us in the right direction. If we don’t know which students need a pat on the back, an extra fist bump or an “way to go, we see you,” then we’re just spinning our wheels. We rely on your help more than you know.

Thank you, students

The thousands of students at the high school and middle schools around the metro are the reason we do what we do. Thank you for your willingness to be seen and maybe more importantly, for your willingness to listen to bad dad jokes and even occasionally act like one or two of them are actually funny.

Getting the opportunity to interact with you makes our hearts sore. Catching a half a smile or a chuckle here or there is music to our ears. If we can reach just one of you at a Fist Bump Friday, it’s more than made our efforts worth it.

Thank you for being you. We know these teen years are tough. Trust us, we’ve been there. We’re just thrilled you’ve allowed us in to be a part of the chaos that is high school and middle school.

Thank you, dads

Last, but certainly not least. The chapter chairs may the tone, but it’s the hundreds and hundreds of dads that step up every day who do the heavy lifting.

There’s always something that comes up and there’s always a dad there to answer the bell. We may not ask a lot of you and you may shrug it off as no big deal, but certainly is to us. Time is one of our most precious commodities and don’t take that for granted.

What else can we say? To all of you? Thank you, thank you, thank you. We don’t say it enough and shouldn’t have to wait until the end of November to say it, either.

Thanks to everyone who allows us to do what we do.

• 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.