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Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Ryan Yepsen
ILL. COUNCIL ON RESPONSIBLE FATHERHOOD TO HOLD FORUM IN BELLEVILLE
Belleville, Ill. - The Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood will hold a free, public forum Thursday, March 9, at 2 p.m. at the St Clair/Belleville Department of Human Services Office, 1220 Centreville Ave in Belleville, IL. Organizers hope to build a statewide network of supportive groups and individuals, pinpoint challenges that hinder father involvement in their children = s lives, develop ideas for programs that would support fathers and look for means of bringing about legislative reform. To accomplish this, the council is reaching out to lawmakers, churches, social service organizations and individuals in the Belleville area to participate in the forum. The Illinois Legislature established the council as a statewide commission under the office of Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2003. Jeffery M. Leving, a Chicago attorney, serves as its chair. A The deterioration of responsible fatherhood over the last half-century has had a devastating effect on American families, @ Leving said. A Countless studies and mounting anecdotal evidence continue to demonstrate how children who grow up in father-absent homes are much more likely to be poor, to use drugs, to experience educational, emotional and behavioral problems, to be victims of child abuse and to engage in criminal behavior. A The Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood is one of the first government initiatives of its kind and will serve as a model for other states across the country seeking to restore responsible fatherhood as a societal norm in all communities. @ In an effort to establish its statewide network of legislators, educators and community leaders and to develop strategies for promoting responsible fatherhood throughout Illinois, the council is holding a series of regional events throughout Illinois. The Belleville meeting will be the fourth such meeting, a forum was convened in Carbondale on April 16, 2005, another was convened in Springfield on April 30, 2005, and the most recent convened in Rockford on November 19, 2005. On June 4, the Council, in collaboration with U.S. Congressman Danny K. Davis, held the 2005 Fatherhood Conference & Resource Fair in Chicago. The conference brought together representatives from state agencies, such as Illinois Department of Public Aid, Illinois Department of Human Services and the Department of Children and Families as well as lawmakers and concerned citizens to identify ways to make state policies and programs more father-friendly. The Council will use feedback from the conference and the regional forums to analyze regional differences and identify statewide solutions to promoting the positive involvement of fathers in the lives of their children. These finding will be presented to the Governor and State Legislature in a report due back in 2006. For planning purposes, organizers would like those interested in attending to contact Joe Englert, who is also able to respond to requests for more information. Reach him by e-mail at responsiblefatherhood@hotmail.com or by telephone at 312/296-3668. ###
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