Rialto City Council proclaims June as Fatherhood Awareness Month and brings workshops to the city

In May 2022, Mayor Deborah Robertson and Rialto City Council proclaimed June as Fatherhood Awareness Month. In addition, the council presented a proclamation to San Bernardino Fatherhood, recognizing their work in helping fathers, children and families.

Since then, the city has hosted a 24:7 Dad Key Behaviors Workshop at the Rialto Community Services Dept., led by San Bernardino Fatherhood, on June 11th and is scheduled to host a Men’s Health Day Event at Rialto Senior Center on June 15th.

“This past weekend, one of our fatherhood specialists offered a free 24:7 Day Key Behaviors Workshop on how to connect with their children, be there for them 24/7, and how to connect with other dads. The three dads who attended shared how fundamental the workshop was and said they’d like to have these weekly group meetings,” said Founder and Executive Director Ryan Berryman.

At the forthcoming Men’s Health Fair, Berryman said he and Father Specialist Jerry Henderson would address the role of a father and how imperative the relationship is to the successful development of a child. 

“Research shows that when a father is present in a child’s life, the child will be stronger emotionally, physically, and thrive in their academics. It’s so important to recognize that when we have strong families, we have strong communities – which is a massive benefit to the development of children,” continued Berryman. 

He also shared two recommendations for fathers looking to strengthen their relationship with their children.

“One of the simplest and most important things a father can do is to be present in their child’s life; I know many families have unique circumstances, but ensuring your child knows you’re there for them 24/7 is imperative. It’s also essential to have a positive relationship with the child’s mother. Even if the relationship is not great with the mother, at the bare minimum, you want to have the ability to communicate respectfully, for the child’s benefit,” Berryman said. 

As the organization prepares for its massive Leadership Summit on August 24th and 25th in Rialto, the organization would like to remind the community that it’s continuously in need of volunteers and donations to successfully execute initiatives to build stronger relationships between fathers and children. 

“Far too long, many fathers have been underserved in our social service systems, especially our Black and Brown men. As a result, this has negatively affected positive outcomes for children, the economic stability of families, and the safety of communities. Now is the time for society to begin serving fathers in our communities with intentional efforts and equitable resources and services,” concluded Berryman.  

For more information, email rberryman@sbfatherhood.com or visit www.sbfatherhood.com.