All Pro Dad: Southern Oaks strengthening bonds within families

Karah Wilson, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·3 min read

Oct. 29—Southern Oaks Elementary School is working to strengthen bonds with children and their families through the national program "All Pro Dad."

"All Pro Dad" was created in 1997 with the mission to help fathers "love and lead" families well, according to its website. The organization was founded by Family First, Inc. founder Mark Merrill, and former NFL coach Tony Dungy.

Southern Oaks' chapter meets once a month with the most recent meeting being Friday.

Rob Phillips, a father of six children, has been acting as the parent representative for the "All Pro Dad" chapter at Southern Oaks.

"It's important to me because fathers usually don't get the chance to be involved in school activities because of all the work requirements we face every day," he said. "I find it very heartwarming to have a chance to sit with my children in the morning."

Phillips said a lot of fathers have a hard time opening up to their children and he hopes the program helps families become closer.

"It's done that for me," he said. "It's really been a blessing to be here with my children and just see the eagerness they have to come to school that day every month. It brightens my day."

Phillips said he's witnessed the students enjoying the time they have with their families during the program every month.

"I think it just makes them feel connected, it helps with that bond," he said. "I think every child wants to spend time with their father. Sometimes dads are not the easiest ones to open up about things."

Southern Oaks Family Resource and Youth Services Coordinator, Lisa Yeiser, said the school has had an "All Pro Dad" chapter for approximately 12 years.

"It is a good thing for the dads to be in the building," she said. "Statistics show that if parents are involved in the school, the kids will do better in their academics."

Yeiser's favorite part of the monthly meeting is when the fathers tell their children something they are proud of them for.

"The kids' faces just always light up," she said. "You can see they just relish and love that moment."

Although the name of the program is called "All Pro Dad," Yeiser said any parent, family member, guardian or parental figure can come to the breakfast with their student.

"Whatever that significant person is for that child, they can come," she said. "It can be a mom, it can be an uncle, grandad. Whoever that child has as a figure in their home. It doesn't matter."

Yeiser said the impact the breakfast has on a student's day is "very positive."

"I think anytime a parent spends time with their child, it gives a relaxing attitude and demeanor for that child," she said. "I think it carries through. A lot of times, they will hug each other on the way to class after breakfast. If you didn't have this, 'All Pro Dad,' and make that moment, a lot of times in the mornings, you don't make that moment."

Southern Oaks isn't the only school in the Daviess County Public Schools district that offers a similar program, though. Many of the schools have their own version of the "All Pro Dad" program that may not be tied to the national organization.