Short Message from the President. January 13th, 2010

Good Morning All, or if you don’t mind me indulging myself – G’day All!

I wake today with the exciting task of being President of Wisconsin Fathers for Children and Families. I’d like to thank the Board for having the faith in me to be President of this longtime and growing organization and know that the trust and respect between the Board and myself will remain steadfast.

Wisconsin Fathers, as an organization, has been around for over 20 years and I am indeed fortunate to have such a wise and experienced Board to guide me in the needs of Fathers in Wisconsin today.

I am also fortunate that our Immediate Past President, Steve Blake, has initiated such valuable projects and I’m hopeful that his wisdom and advice will guide me in taking these initiatives to their conclusion. I have no reservations about this being a tough job; I was a member 5 years ago when I saw the emotional drain on Jan Raz when Steve took over as President.

But it is because of the years of hard work by these Elder Statesmen, these Fathers of integrity that the organization is where it is today, with shared placement and greater respect for the Father’s role in the family than ever before.

I do hear many of you reciting the Supreme Courts definition of “maximize” which I too am well aware of also being a cookie-cutter “Every Second Weekend” parent myself, but no one ever said life was easy and the higher the hurdle you jump the greater the satisfaction of achievement. We still have work to do.

At the packed WFCF Annual Meeting in Milwaukee last night, which left people standing around the edges, we had Senator’s Plale and Taylor and Representative Pridemore, all talking from the heart about their roles as politicians and their feelings as parents. It inspires me to work more closely with these “keepers of the Law”, so we can achieve even greater Father participation in the lives of their children.

Speaking of which, my apologies for the slight delay in this President’s message. It was because, as President of my daughter’s Parent/Teacher group, I was running their General Meeting, the evening after the Wisconsin Fathers Annual Meeting.

My message – quite simply, get involved with your kids! I see lots of excess energy. Let’s make sure that is utilized in a positive way to grow your relationship with your kids and your community. It is wasted energy if it is a negative reaction to a bad situation. Banging your head against the same brick wall will only give you a sore head.

Over the last few days, I’ve received many calls and emails. Let me assure you, the organization is strong and the Board is more determined than ever to continue to do for Fathers of Wisconsin, what they have been doing over the last 20+ years. For any one with concerns, I welcome calls to my personal “Dad’s” phone at 1-877-5050Dad or to my personal email of 5050Dad@gmail.com.

Know that the Board is unified and that we will not waver from our much needed support on the AllDads phone line (1-608-255-3237), our website, the newsletter, and other forms of outreach to you as we continue our efforts on your behalf to “Give Dad’s a Fair Go”. With your continuing loyal support we can change the laws and change the implementation of those laws, so that the Father/child relationship is treated with fairness, respect and equality.

Yours Sincerely

Peter Kerr