18 May

Hosting a “My Hero and Me” event at a school

I was asked to host an event at my wife’s school called “My Hero and Me” for dads.

It is a 6-week program designed to help dads spend quality the with their kids. They provide food, various activities throughout the program and ends with an after-school trip.

At 1st I was hesitant but I signed up anyway because I know how to make sure a dad’s presence is never boring. You know us dads get bored really quick and even though it might seem bias, real dads know how to entertain other dads.

So I did what Cool4Dads is all about, I showed everyone involved that #FatherhoodIsLit

Here are a few things to remember if you want to do an event like this.

You don’t have to be an expert, be a dad

This is why I do it

When they 1st asked me to do this, I immediately said yes even though I wasn’t sure if I really had the time to do it. I just knew I couldn’t let my wife or her students down once I signed up.

I had no clue what I wanted to do and actually started to overthink it. I’m great at computers, but could I find someone to lend us 50 ipads or computers to use? Should I include a booklet or guide for dads? All of these crazy thoughts kept popping into my head.

Thank goodness I chose one of the last weeks of the program for my portion. I was stressing myself out until I asked myself, “what do I like to do with my kids?”

We love building with Home Depot and I knew other dads would love it also. We reached out to a friend from Home Depot who hooked us up with kits and paint to use for our event. Major thank you to Cherylyn at our local Home Depot!

As a backup, I would have had them building structures out of marshmallows and spaghetti like this. I heard people love it and it looked cool.

For events like this, you decide what you want to do with the group. You already did the hardest part and volunteered. You don’t have to be a pro at anything, just pick something fun and wing it like the hero that you are. Find something interesting that you can do as a group and learn about it together if you have to. No one will judge you!

It doesn’t matter how many dads you get, its how many you affect

We had 8 dads and 11 kids show up for our session and it was off the hook. Sometimes we get caught up in the numbers instead of the actual work that is getting done. Don’t let it happen to you.

I would have loved to have had 25-30 dads show up, but when you do the math, that’s pretty hard for one person to handle. If you can’t handle the number of people in the room, you might get nervous and everyone might even suffer.

Having a smaller number of attendees actually makes the event better. Now you can really dig in deep and engage with your audience. What really matters is how many you actually affect.

Did you teach them something new? Did you help them build a stronger bond with their kids? Did you leave them wanting to do it again or even wanting more? Did they feel like the hero you said they were?

Those are the questions you need to focus on, not how many people showed up. My small group was engaged and even ran over the time allotted to us. Not one person complained about staying later, huge win!

Bring your own kids, lead by example

The great Migos once stated, “Walk it like I talk it,” and that’s a motto I live by! I take my kids to all the events I either host myself or I am part of.

I used to worry that by bringing my kids to these events they would lose out on having quality time with me. Instead of stressing whether we had time together I include them as part of the process. They help me set up and they walk around events asking kids if they need any help.

Not only does it keep them busy but it makes them feel like they are part of the organizing team. It also teaches them so many things like people skills and organization.

For this event, my son was the photographer which he loves doing. My youngest and I built our own calendar but we didn’t finish it in one take. We would bang a few nails in and then walk around to make sure everyone was good.

I like to lead by example and there’s no better example than a family doing the things they say they love to do, together!

It’s a wrap!

Events like a “My Hero and Me,” event can do so much for a school or a community. I love community events! There’s also no denying that it can do so much for the people hosting or running the event.

Even though it takes some work to pull an event like this off, it isn’t difficult to do. I encourage all the dads out there, even if you’re shy, to take the time to be part of one. Maybe even host one.

You just have to be a dad, you don’t have to be an expert. Remember to do it because it can change someone’s lives, there’s no need to worry about how many people showed up. Even one dad that you help is a huge deal. Also, bring your kids and make them part of the process. Educate them in ways you never thought about and watch everyone have some fun.

Being a dad is a blessing, helping others by paying it forward is one of the greatest things a dope dad like YOU can ever do!