Children and families in the vicinity seven City Dads Group outposts are benefiting from our members generosity today as we proudly participate in GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to helping others.

A crew of our Chicago Dads Group members will be pitching on #GivingTuesday night to help pack more than 13,000 meals for needy families using the Feed My Starving Children charity in Schaumburg, Ill.

Our Dallas Dads Group has been running a diaper drive to benefit Family Compass, a nonprofit that works to build healthy families in North Texas by preventing child abuse and neglect. The Dallas dads this morning will present the diapers to the organization, which has helped more than 44,000 since its start in 1992.

Gleaners Food Bank of Indianapolis will be receiving a monetary donation and volunteer help from our Indy Dads Group. Gleaners has assisted families in need since 1980.

Diapers are also being collected by the San Francisco Dads Group and the St. Louis Dads Group to celebrate GivingTuesday. Our Bay Area affiliate has been holding a diaper drive to assist Help a Mother Out, a nonprofit that assists families in need, and worked with baby-care giant Pampers to secure a donation of 4,100 diapers. Our Missouri outpost’s efforts will benefit the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, an organization dedicated to assisting low-income families.

The Las Vegas Dads Group will be donating clothing and grooming items to The Shade Tree, a local organization that helps homeless or abused women and their children.

NYC Dads Group volunteers will spend tonight sorting and bundling children’s clothing donated through Baby Buggy, a nonprofit group that works with a network of more than 100 community-based organizations across the country to distribute new and gently used essentials: from cribs and strollers to clothing and bottles.

GivingTuesday started in 2012 as a collaboration between New York’s 92nd Street Y, a longtime NYC Dads Group partner, and the United Nations Foundation. Tens of thousands of organizations worldwide annually participate in GivingTuesday activities.

If you can’t participate in any of these events today, visit our on Twitter and Instagram using hashtags #CityDads and #GivingTuesday to see pictures of our dads across the country supporting families in need.

The NYC Dads Group again will help other needy families in our area keep their children warm and looking good this holiday by participating tomorrow on #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving back to others.

For the second year, several of our members will spend an evening vetting, sorting and bundling children’s clothing donated through Baby Buggy, a nonprofit group that assists the 500,000 New York City families living in poverty.

#GivingTuesday was founded in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y (another NYC Dads Group partner over the years) in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. The effort has engaged more than 10,000 organizations worldwide.

Three City Dads Group chapters will help support children and families in need Dec. 2 as part of #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to helping others.

Members of the Chicago Dads Group plan to gather to pack meals for shipping all over the world to starving and malnourished children through the international charity Feed My Starving Children. For more details or to participate, visit the Chicago Dads Group Meetup page.

The NYC Dads Group has scheduled to spend the evening sorting, screening and bundling children’s clothing donated through Baby Buggy, a nonprofit assisting the 500,000 New York City families living in poverty. For more details or to participate, visit the NYC Dads Group Meetup page.

The Philly Dads Group plans to do some shopping for a cause. They will head out to purchase children’s clothing to make “Outfit Packs,” packages filled with a week’s worth of underwear, socks, shirts and more, that will be donated to Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit organization providing kids in need under the age of 12 some of the most important basics of life. The guys are also accepting donations of clothes and money for the cause. For more details or to participate, visit the Philly Dads Group Meetup page.

#GivingTuesday was founded in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y, a longtime NYC Dads Group partner, in conjunction with the United Nations Foundation. The effort has engaged more than 10,000 organizations worldwide.

If you can’t participate in any of these events, you can visit us on Twitter and Instagram using hashtags #CityDads and #GivingTuesday to see pictures of our dads across the country supporting families in need.

It was a special night last night for the NYC Dads Group– the culmination of our first NYC Dads Care project, and graduation for 19 of the dedicated participants of the Bronx Fatherhood Program (BFP), an innovative fathering initiative serving non-custodial fathers ages 14-21. These Dads completed the program designed to help fathers understand the importance of their role and to to embrace fatherhood and the responsibilities that accompany it. The comprehensive course addresses everything from newborn care and child development, to parent-child relationship development, and partner conflict resolution. The program also supports each participant with career development tools, legal services, and financial education. BFP aims to help each father to improve his parenting competency, to increase his engagement in his child’s life, to improve communication with his co-parent, to implement positive parenting skills, and to contribute consistently to his child’s well-being– emotionally, financially, and materially.

We are at a point in the year that deserves reflection about what we are thankful for.  Below, Gilbert R. touches on how fortunate he is as he shares a guest blog post about his experience of volunteering his time with Baby Buggy:

It was mid-October on a Saturday morning. I was rushing to make it to the New York City Dads meet up event at Baby Buggy on West 37th St. I arrived just a few minutes late. As I made my way to the 7th floor, I was welcomed by Ms. Elizabeth Smith, Volunteer Program Manager. I asked her to quickly instruct me on what needs to be done & I promised not to socialize (at least no that much) for the next 2 hours. I wanted to provide them (Baby Buggy) with as much energy, focus, & passion while volunteering my time.

With well over 500,000 children living in poverty in New York City, Baby Buggy’s strategy differs from other Non-Profit group’s such as Goodwill & Salvation Army. Where you can only hope those valued donations are being received by the people that require them…Baby Buggy works with a network of over 50 social service organizations within the 5 boroughs of New York City. For the past 10 years, Baby Buggy’s donations have gone directly to the children & families who need it most.

On this day, 11 members of The NYC Dads Group extend ourselves & assist with certain tasks. Task #1 was fulfilling NEED-List orders for a number of organizations. These lists required specific items & goods for their clients. They varied from clothing, shoes, diapers, children’s books, baby household goods, etc. Other tasks included cleaning & sterilizing donated items, and another was reorganizing the many donated books by appropriate age level. The community of dads worked well together & their efficiency showed.

As each task was completed, we were looking to do more. It was a very productive 2 hours for both Baby Buggy & The NYC Dad’s Group.
I personally know how touched I was during my first visit last year to the Baby Buggy headquarters. My daughter Sage was only 5-6 months old. Loving the feeling I felt from being a newly minted Dad! The amazing feeling that overwhelmed me every time I looked at my daughter. My wife & I are fortunate enough to have good health & provide for our own.

Therefore, it is so easy to overlook the many who are not as fortunate as we are. So along with volunteering time for this cause, I make it a point to donate our little one’s clothing & items whenever possible. As I know it will bring a smile to the families’ who receive them. Which brings me to the close of our Baby Buggy visit-  we are shown a video explaining Baby buggy’s Mission to help alleviate the stress of poverty & prevent crisis. Even with a room full of testosterone, you just had to look around at the others & see the impact felt from the video. All it requires is giving your time or goods to donate for a wonderful cause.

I look forward to partnering with Baby Buggy again in the near future as well as looking for other opportunities to connect & partner our active community of fathers with more community outreach endeavors.  Stay tuned!

Sometimes it’s nice to be a tourist in your own city. Sometimes it’s nice to drop your child off with family so you and your wife can have some alone time. This past Saturday, I was fortunate to have both.

We live close to Central Park, and as an at home dad, it becomes my oasis several times a week – for it’s plentiful playgrounds, fields of grass for my son & I to run around or play ball on, serene landscapes, and the like. My working wife only knows Central Park for it’s overcrowded hot spots: The Great Lawn, Sheep’s Meadow, and the Zoo. I asked her how she wanted to spend our beautiful, private afternoon together without our son. She excitedly replied, “take me for a tour of Central Park.” Fortunately, I was armed with a useful tool because my buddy Matt sent me this article a few weeks ago: Hidden NY: 19 Fun Things to Do in Central Park Beyond the Zoo from family-friendly Mommy Poppins.

We started on the North East corner of Central Park. We strolled through the tranquil and symmetrical Conservatory Gardens, meandered around the Harlem Meer (where they rent free fishing equipment), and traversed through the North Woods filled with streams and waterfalls. One thing was for sure – it did not feel like New York City. After navigating The Great Hill and parking ourselves on the banks of the boathouse lagoon listening to the folk tunes of That Guitar Man from Central Park, we had the makings of a perfect date.

I share this (not to sound corny, but I know it does anyway) because sometimes the most simple and least expensive way is the best way to have the perfect date! And to hype up what an amazing and diverse place Central Park truly is. Although, I know so many other treasures exist throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Speaking of Central Park, our friends at the Baby Buggy charity are hosting their fourth annual fundraising event TODAY: Baby Buggy Bedtime Bash in Central Park…

This is a family fundraiser that they do once a year at Victorian Gardens in Central Park. If you are ever going to experience the amusement park over the summer come to this private, fun event where there are NO lines and everyone wins a prize!

Who: Baby Buggy
What: A Family Fun Party For Kids of All Ages
When: Thursday, June 3, 4:30 – 7:30pm – rain or shine
Where: Victorian Gardens (Amusement Park) at Wollman Rink in Central Park
Cost: This is a charitable donation and different packages are available, but site states single adult tickets are $175 & individual children are $75.
For more information, visit their website or call 212-736-1772

Read about our group’s volunteer experience with this fantastic charity.