News From HelpForDaddy

Single Parents Party This Weekend

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:44:26 -0700

Calling all single parents!

Skippy from Charlie FM is hosting a Single Parent Party at Big Al's Vancouver and he'd love for you to join him!

You can WIN PRIZES including Concert tickets, Oregon Coast Getaways and MORE! He'll be hanging out in the bar area from 7-9p on Friday, July 29th. Light appetizers will be provided and Charlie FM will bring fun games and hilarious activities to test your “single-ness!”

Plus, the FIRST 25 peeps to sign up for his fun, FREE party will automatically get a $5 Big Al's Fun Card. Cool!

All you've got to do is RSVP with your information letting him know you plan to come! He is looking forward to meeting all you awesome single parents!

It’s Now a Crime, In Oregon, to Falsely Accuse Someone of Child Abuse

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:10:13 -0700

Governor John Kitzhaber signed into law today House Bill 2183, which comes down hard on anyone knowingly making a false claim of child abuse!

The key is "knowing," says the bill's sponsor, Rep. Wayne Krieger, who acknowledged that false accusations often arise between divorcing couples.

As someone who recently went through this, I can say that this is an extremely important bill, and one that needs to be paid attention to. Yes, there is some ambiguity, especially when there is burden to prove that they ‘knowingly’ made the false claim, but nevertheless, it is a big step in the right direction, and will prevent a lot of fathers from losing their children merely to claims!

Details of the bill can be found here.

Non-Custodial Parenting Discussion

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 16:08:00 -0700

We were invited to appear on the OPB radio station this morning as part of their “Think Out Loud” programming, to discuss the topic of Non-custodial parenting.

Joined by our friend Sophia Van Buren, a blogger, author, and rare non-custodial mother, we chatted about the challenges facing parents who don’t have custody of their children.

You can listen to the entire episode by clicking the “Play” link on the ThinkOutLoud page or download it (30MB) by clicking here.

A Dads Life

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:35:04 -0700

Just a bit of fun today, from YouTube.

Come on dads, you know this is true. Love the line ‘I got dozens of dollars’.

Smile today.

Need a New Bed? We can Help!

Thu, 7 Oct 2010 18:58:45 -0700

HelpForDaddy was recently contacted by a national chain of hotels here in the Portland area with some very exciting news! They have very kindly donated 40 queen sized beds to our organization and they will be available within the next two weeks.

We have allocated several of these to fathers in need, but the vast majority are for sale!

Some details:
1) They are all queen size
2) They include the box spring and mattress
3) They are less than 5 years old
4) They have been cleaned regularly in accordance with strict hotel guidelines.

So, we are sending notice that we are selling these beds for $25 each. Yep, that's right....only $25. If you'd like it delivered to your Portland Metro area house we can do that for an additional $10. All proceeds will go directly to HelpForDaddy, and the work we continue to do for the fathers we help.

Perhaps your bed is in need of a change? Maybe you have a child going off to college? Perhaps you know of some folks that are not as fortunate as you are and would like to gift one to them? Whatever your need, I am sure you can see that this is an incredible deal and one that allows you to also give back to those in need.

If you are interested, please contact us directly, and I will send you payment information. We accept cash, checks, and credit cards (via PayPal) and all beds will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Please note, that as you are receiving something in exchange for your 'donation' this transaction will not be tax-deductible under IRS guidelines.

Thanks everyone for your continued support of HelpForDaddy.

Oregon AG Pats Himself on the Back

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:15:05 -0700

This article makes me mad. Really mad. Don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying that the enforcement of child support is not important. Aside from the ways it is calculated, and actually enforced, it is an important part of a child’s life, and is needed, but to make this some absurd competition is ridiculous beyond belief.
Oregon won the “Preventing Arrears Challenge Cup” in Seattle. This is basically where they were rewarded for getting the most child support that was back owed! Here is an idea for a cup that Oregon should participate in:
How about we have a competition where ALL the states in the country compete against one another to see who can enforce the most visitation orders that dads have. Yes, what a novel idea. Actually start letting fathers see the kids they are paying for even when mommy decides that this weekend just isn’t a good idea because it doesn’t work for her. Guess what, mommy, that isn’t your choice. It’s dads weekend, and you are breaking a COURT ORDERED RULE (ironically, just the same as a child support order) and should be punished for it.
As usual, the DOJ follows the money. There isn’t any money in locking up moms. Just target the ‘deadbeat dads’ that don’t pay up. Ever think why some of them become ‘deadbeats’?
Ridiculous.
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Oregon Attorney General John Kroger today announced that Oregon did a better job of collecting back child support last year than the other states in its region.
"Collecting overdue child support is crucially important to the lives of Oregon children," said Attorney General Kroger. "I am really proud of the job our team is doing."
The Oregon Department of Justice Division of Child Support collected $85.7 million in back child support in fiscal year 2009 -- better than Washington, Idaho and Alaska. Oregon was presented with the Preventing Arrears Challenge Cup in Seattle this week. Oregon won the award in 2007 as well.
"It is especially important to note that Child Support out-performed the other states in the region despite fewer employees and the worst recession in generations," said Child Support Director Jean Fogarty.
Oregon's Child Support Program collected a total of $336 million in child support in fiscal year 2009 for nearly 250,000 Oregon children. Most child support payments are made voluntarily by parents.
Attorney General John Kroger leads the Oregon Department of Justice. The Department's mission is to fight crime and fraud, protect the environment, improve child welfare, promote a positive business climate, and defend the rights of all Oregonians.
The original article can be found by clicking here.

Hell Hath No Fury...so Proves Elizabeth Edwards

Fri, 2 Jul 2010 16:19:15 -0700

This story has been plucked from the pages of iVillage.com and has struck a chord with many people, not least dads!
There is no doubt that most people, rightly so, feel sympathy for soon-to-be-ex Mrs Edwards. Her husband was unfaithful during a very rough part of her life as she dealt with cancer. She wants a divorce, and few could argue against her reasoning for that.
However, the inflammatory statements she makes below makes my support and sympathy wane, as I see far too often she now considers her three children “hers” and is clearly using them as a weapon. To dictate to Mr. Edwards who will raise the kids, or to be clearer, who will NOT, is just disgusting. She has decided that as he cheated on her, he cheated on them, and to hell with him!
Well, here is the tough part, and it’s not easy to hear. Husbands (and wives) cheat on their partners...they don’t cheat on their children. I can certainly sympathize with those in the camp that say if you step outside the marriage that hurts everyone. Of course it does. However, many spouses stray for many different reasons, but when you think about it rationally, few do it ‘because of the children’.
Mrs Edwards has no right to dictate to the children’s father who he shall see, who he shall choose as a potential partner, and who, ultimately, could be the stepmother of her children.
Mrs Edwards...I understand what you’re going through first hand, and I truly do believe it is the “hurt” that is coming out and talking for you in this scenario. The facts are however, that Mr. Edwards (cheating bastard as he may be!) is their father, and he has equal rights with his children as you do!

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Elizabeth Edwards has been battling cancer since 2004, and according to the New York Daily News, her condition has reportedly "taken a turn for the worse lately." The News says that Edwards, 60, has started to consider the question of her children's guardianship in the event of her death. Normally, young children who've lost a parent are placed in custody of the surviving parent. But sources say that Elizabeth is determined to keep the children out of estranged husband John Edwards' home -- for fear that Rielle Hunter would end up raising them.   According to the News, Elizabeth Edwards wants her oldest daughter Cate to take care of Emma, 12, and Jack, 10, if she should pass away. Cate is only 28, but she has a steady legal job at a federal court in Virginia, owns her own home and is in a long-term relationship. Still -- even if Cate is a suitable guardian, the children's father has the right to custody, unless he's determined "unfit" by a court of law. Although John has made some bad decisions (like, say, having unprotected sex with his mistress during a Presidential campaign and lying to the nation about his paternity when a baby was born to his mistress), he's traditionally been a fairly upstanding member of society in many other regards -- so it's unlikely that Elizabeth would be able to find a legal loophole to keep the children out of his care.   For what it's worth, Elizabeth's sister, Nancy Anania Sims, denies that Elizabeth's health is deteriorating -- but she doesn't deny that Elizabeth may be looking for custody options outside of John, saying, "There are a lot of family members who are willing and able."   John Edwards, 56, is the father of a 2-year-old daughter with his mistress Hunter, now 46. The couple has announced no plans to marry, although according to the New York Times, Edwards once told Hunter that he would marry her in a rooftop ceremony after his wife died. The Edwardses are legally separated and, per North Carolina law, can divorce in 2011.

Read More http://www.ivillage.com/elizabeth-edwards-wont-let-rielle-hunter-raise-her-kids/1-a-190496#ixzz0tnQTAm6J

Father’s Day Photography Event - DONE!

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:31:48 -0700

What a great day yesterday was! Waking up early and looking outside was enough to dampen even the most determined spirits. Pouring rain when we were about to embark on a day of outdoor photography! We packed the rain gear, and got the canopies out, and headed to Washington Park in Portland, unaware of what to expect!

The dads didn’t disappoint!

From the moment we ‘opened the doors’ at 11am right through until we closed up at 3pm the families were rolling through the event and getting their pictures taken by Rachel Hawkins (shivering and damp!) from Love Raen Photography!

In the space of those four hours, we had over 30 families come on out and get portraits done! It was great! We had candy for the kids, coffee for the grown ups and Rachel took close to 1,000 photographs (yes, that’s THREE zeros!) of everyone out there!

This was a fun event for all of the HelpForDaddy team, and we are very excited to be involved with Rachel in our next project, too. It’s a pinup calendar...with a twist. Stay tuned for more on that!

For those of you who braved the elements, you should be receiving your CDs with photos on them within the next 2 - 3 weeks, and we’ll have some of the best ones up here for everyone to see!

The Secret to Happiness - Speak to Your Dad

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:48:52 -0700

Young people who said they talked seriously to their dads "most days" gave themselves an 87 per cent score on a happiness scale compared with 79 per cent for those who said they hardly ever spoke to their fathers in this way.

The findings, from an analysis of research from the British Household Panel survey into 1,200 young people in Britain aged between 11 and 15, were released by the Children's Society to coincide with Father's Day this weekend.

Nearly half of young people - 46 per cent - said they "hardly ever" spoke to their fathers about important topics compared with 28 per cent who hardly ever spoke to their mothers about the things that matter most.

Only 13 per cent confided in their father "most days", according to the analysis.
The study, commissioned by the Children's Society and undertaken by the University of York, showed that young people talk less to their fathers about important issues as they get older.

The data showed 42 per cent of 11-year-olds did so more than once a week compared with 16% of 15-year-olds.

The analysis suggested there has been little change over the years with the same proportion - 30 per cent - of young people talking to their fathers about something that mattered to them more than once a week in 2007-08 as in 2002-03.

The charity said the findings were "highly significant" as academic research has shown that a child's well-being later in life depends on their teenage relationship with their father as well as with their mother.

It launched a Fatherhood Commission with children, experts and the public invited to submit evidence about the barriers to fathers' involvement with their children.
Bob Reitemeier, chief executive of the Children's Society, said: "This research shows that young people's happiness is closely linked to how often they speak to their fathers about things that matter.

"Yet all too often these days, children are becoming alienated or live apart from their fathers.

"That is why the Children's Society is today calling on children, experts and the general public to submit evidence to our new Fatherhood Review.

"It will be investigating the extent to which fathers are involved in the everyday aspects of their children's lives and in the autumn we will publish recommendations on how the obstacles to better father-child relationships might be overcome."

Courtesy of telegraph.co.uk
By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent Published: 12:01AM BST 18 Jun 2010

Photography Event - Directions!

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:21:12 -0700

The Oregon Zoo is located at 4001 SW Canyon Road, Portland, Oregon, 97221.
A link to the google map page can be found here. You can view our exact location inside the Zoo on the third of the three maps below. We are marked with the “A” symbol.

We are located past the Forestry Center on the left side. We will be close to the road, so look for us, and our tent!

Hope to see you there!