DATE: Wednesday, May 14, 1997               TAG: 9705140488

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   78 lines

FATHERS FORUM TRIES TO TURN IDEAS INTO ACTION

The easy part of putting together a statewide campaign to promote fatherhood is the kicking-off part.

Balloons, forums and speeches by important officials can attract hordes of people. The tough part is following through with the message at the local level, which is what the Virginia Fatherhood Campaign is in the throes of doing now.

The state's health department kicked off the initiative a year ago with the goal of getting more fathers more involved with their children. Since then, forums have been held, brochures published and grants issued. Tuesday a ``follow-up'' forum was conducted in Virginia Beach to continue some of the less glamorous work: turning theory to practice.

``This is where the rubber hits the road,'' said Jim Bailey, who directs the Virginia Fatherhood Campaign for the state's Department of Health. ``This is where we ask `How do we carry through with the idea?' ''

Unlike previous forums that drew larger crowds, this one drew only 19 people. Many of them were already involved in projects to get fathers back into families or to keep young men from becoming fathers too soon. They came to share ideas, to celebrate success and to discuss the barriers.

The discussion among participants brought home just how difficult it can be to transform good ideas into tangible programs that make a difference.

One frustration was how few people stay involved at the rubber-meets-the-road level. ``I think a lot of agencies see the problem as so huge, they can't tackle it,'' said Carol Blair, who directs the Office of Youth in Waynesboro.

Another difficulty is trying to reach fathers who don't see the importance of being involved with their children. Two members of the Suffolk Health Department talked about a fatherhood education course they started last year for young fathers.

One problem. They couldn't get the fathers to come.

``They saw it as entrapment,'' said Laverne Holland, who worked on the project at the Suffolk Health Department. So instead, they turned it into an eight-week education session for young males, ages 13 to 18, to learn about responsibility. The health workers believe the session helps keep boys from becoming fathers too soon, but they still want to find a way to reach teen dads.

A third frustration was responding to the various needs of a whole realm of fathers. The needs of those who don't want to take on responsibility for children are very different from those who want to be more involved but aren't because of custody and child support problems.

But discussions at forums just like this one have produced projects that work. The Virginia Fatherhood Campaign has distributed $150,000 in grants to 25 different programs across the state during the past year. One helps fathers in prison stay in touch with their children, another works with teen dads, and another helps couples use mediation to work out family problems. One of the grants went to a program in Virginia Beach that's run by Ron Clark. The Fatherhood/Manhood Empowerment Program, which Clark developed for the Virginia Beach Community Services Board, works with about 25 boys, ages 11 to 16, to teach them respect and responsibility.

Bailey said $100,000 more in grants will be doled out during the next year for more fatherhood programs.

But, from the discussion, there was clearly no exact formula for success. One of the participants, Antonio Gilbert, could speak from experience. He grew up in Newport News without a father, but he had many positive male role models in his life who inspired him - fathers of friends, boys he played basketball with, a stepfather.

He's now 20, and a father himself. He's also married. ``I always felt an emptiness not having a father,'' he said. ``That feeling has made me think to myself, `Hey, I'm going to make sure I'm there for my child, 120 percent.' ''

Gilbert, who now works for the Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority, now wants to see how he can help other young men think the same way. ``I want to find a way to stimulate young men back into the community.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

D. KEVIN ELLIOTT/The Virginian-Pilot

Ron Clark, right, coordinator of the Fatherhood/-

Manhood Empowerment Program, speaks to Larry Goldstein, co-founder

of the Father Development Program, and others Tuesday at the

Virginia Fatherhood Campaign forum. Clark works with about 25 boys

to teach them respect and responsibility.

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