Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s Project FACT (Fathers And Children Together) continues to expand and help local fathers and father figures be more involved in the lives of their children. Operation DADucation is Project FACT’s newest program that is already having a positive impact in the lives of Club members. Every Wednesday evening, Operation DADucation participants meet at the Riviera Beach Library to read, learn and most importantly bond with their children.
The pilot Operation DADucation program started with fathers and father figures from Dr. Mary CcLeod Bethune Elementary School. It’s been such a success that the program is expanding to other Riviera Beach Elementary Schools.
Project FACT started with a three-year $500,000 grant from The Jim Moran Foundation. A recent two-year $100,000 grant from Impact 100 allowed the program to expand into Delray Beach and Boca Raton, Fla. Currently, Project FACT programs are offered in Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach, Belle Glade, Delray Beach and Boca Raton.
Project FACT is a fatherhood initiative program with the goal of helping fathers and father figures foster stronger relationships with their children while preparing teens to transition into manhood. Highly attended community events have allowed for solid community outreach even during the difficulties of a pandemic. In addition to other programs, Project FACT also coordinates a fatherhood mentorship program where a younger father is paired with an experienced dad to serve as a role model.