Hundreds of City Dads Group members and their kids are looking sharp for the holiday season thanks to a Dove Men+Care and Bishops Cuts/Colors.

Our fathers and their kids were special guests in 13 cities where the men’s grooming products company, a longtime partner of City Dads Group, joined forces with the independent hair salon to offer complimentary haircuts, washes and styling using Dove Men+Care products to guys and their offspring as part a promotion to bring “holiday shear” to all.

“Beautiful to see dads across America spending quality time with their kids and bonding in the barbershop getting haircuts today,” City Dads Group co-found Lance Somerfeld wrote on a Facebook post filled with photos from the events across the country. “Thanks to Dove Men+Care and [its] #HolidayShear program for bringing families together this holiday season … adding a dose of style.”

Jonathan Lai of our San Francisco Dads Group and blogger for New Dads, put together this great video highlighting the event at a Bishops in the Bay Area.

DISCLOSURE: City Dads Group chapters were compensated by Dove Men+Care to participate and promote this free event.

Dads and their children have a chance to take a little off the top for free this weekend.

Our longtime partner Dove Men+Care is partnering with 22 Bishops Cuts/Color barber shops across the country on Saturday, Dec. 8, to offer complimentary haircuts, washes and styling using Dove Men+Care products to guys and their offspring as part of a promotion. Our City Dads Group members and their children have been asked be special guests at the “Holiday Shear” events being held in 13 cities.

“To help families spend more time together while preparing for the holiday season, Dove Men+Care is giving the gift of free washes and haircuts to men and the children in their lives by spreading #HolidayShear,” the men’s grooming products company wrote in a news release.

City Dads Group chapters have been asked by DM+C to be special guests at these events. Meetups have been arranged by our organizers in the following cities (click the link then check out the group’s scheduled meetups for location and time details):

• Atlanta
• Charlotte
• Chicago
• Cincinnati
• Columbus, Ohio
• Denver
• Houston
• Los Angeles
• Phoenix
• Portland, Ore.
• Sacramento
• San Diego
• San Francisco 

In addition to the free haircuts, Dove Men+Care will have activity cards to encourage some father-child bonding through drawing, playing and conversation. Photo opportunities will also be held so the dads and kids can show off their new holiday haircuts.

Bishops Cuts/Color is a national chain, founded in Portland, Ore, that is predominately minority owned, that offers affordable haircuts and gives back to each of its communities, according to its website.

For a list of all the participating Bishops Cuts/Colors locations, visit bishops.co.

If you’re unable to attend one of these events, you can check out photos on our Twitter and Instagram social media feeds or by searching #HolidayShear.

Over the years, City Dads Group and its many chapters have partnered with Dove Men+Care for many events and promotions such as March Madness parties and tickets.

DISCLOSURE: City Dads Group chapters have been compensated by Dove Men+Care to participate and promote this free event. The event will begin at 9 a.m., local time, for City Dads Group members and run until 9 p.m., or until Dove Men+Care supplies are depleted, whichever occurs first.  Gratuities are not included, and any other services obtained that day will be charged at regular prices.  No substitutions allowed, and walk-ins (no appointments) only.  You must be present to reserve a spot in line.  No rain checks for any services unable to be completed by the end of the event.

Photo: Andi Whiskey on Unsplash

Pediatric cancer is in the sights of City Dads Group this June as we team with the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) to raise money to help find a cure.

City Dads Group chapters in a dozen cities from coast-to-coast will set up stands between June 2 and 10 to sell lemonade and take donations to go to the national nonprofit’s work funding research to find better treatments and cures for childhood cancer.

Details, including times and locations for each group’s event this year, will be made available on the City Dads Group’s ALSF fundraising page or on the group’s Meetup page (see list below).

City Dads Group previously raised funds with Alex’s Lemonade Stand in 2016, but this year’s model should be even sweeter thanks to our ongoing partnership with Plum Organics. The nation’s leading organic baby food brand is helping our chapters out with supplies for their stands, and will provide snacks and samples for patrons.

• Boston – June 8
• Charlotte – June 4
• Chicago – June 9
• Dallas – June 9
• Fresno, Calif. – June 7
• Kansas City – June 2
• Los Angeles- June 10
• Madison, Wisc. – June 8
• New York City – June 5
• Portland, Ore. – June 9
• San Francisco – June 2
• Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul), Minn – June 2

City Dads Group and Plum Organics® will again work together to help nourish children and assist families in need on Giving Tuesday, an international day of helping others that follows Thanksgiving.

On Nov. 28, City Dads in 12 U.S. metropolitan areas will help pack and distribute food donated by Plum Organics, the nation’s leading organic baby food brand. Plum Organics last year for Giving Tuesday donated more than 24,000 meals to charitable organizations chosen by our chapters in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and the Minneapolis/St. Paul.

** Watch video of our 2016 Giving Tuesday work **

“We are proud to expand our Giving Tuesday partnership with Plum Organics to support nonprofits that support families in need across the United States,” said Matt Schneider, co-founder of City Dads Group. “Our dads are very proud to be able to provide time and much needed food to our communities.”

Where we are helping on Giving Tuesday

Our members will help pack, stock and distribute the Plum Organics donation and perform other volunteer work to the following organizations:

• Boston/Providence Dads Group have chosen to assist the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, which will distribute the food through its 160 agency partners that reach 57,000 individuals monthly.
• The Charlotte Dads Group plans to work with Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, which distributed more than 50 million pounds of food and household items throughout its 19 county service region during its most recent fiscal year.
• Chicago Dads Group will assist clients of Palatine Township Food Pantry, an organization that serves an average of 345 families each month.
• Dallas Dads Group has chosen to work with Hope Supply Co. which assists 1,100 homeless children in North Texas every day.
• The Fresno Dads Group will work with Community Food Bank, which serves more than 280,000 people each month through a variety of programs.
• Kansas City Dads Group has chosen to help Harvesters Community Food Network, a regional food bank serving northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas that assists more than 620 not-for-profit agencies.
• The Los Angeles and NYC Dads Groups will again help GOOD+ Foundation, a nonprofit group that works with a network of more than 100 community-based organizations across the country to distribute essentials to families in need.
• Madison Dads Group in Wisconsin will assist the Goodman Community Center, which helps income-limited families through a food pantry, before- and after-school programs and other services.
• Our Portland Dads Group will work with the Oregon Food Bank, a central hub for supplying food pantries across the entire Pacific Northwest state.
• San Francisco Dads Group has selected the SF-Marin Food Bank to be its partner. The nonprofit provides more than 100,000 meals a day through 250 area food pantries.
• Twin Cities Dads Group in Minnesota will volunteer with Second Harvest Heartland, one of the nation’s largest food banks.

“At Plum, our mission is to nourish little ones with the very best food from the very first bite. Back in 2013, we founded The Full Effect® program to extend our mission to little ones in need. In America, 1 in 5 children is food insecure. That’s approximately 13 million kids,” Mandy Geisler, senior marketing manager at Plum Organics, said in a written statement. “The global giving movement Giving Tuesday is a great platform to raise awareness about this issue. By partnering with City Dads Group again this year, we’re able to bring organic baby food donations to organizations in twelve of their locations nationwide.”

City Dads Group members and others who are not able to participate in any of these events in person can follow our work on Twitter and Instagram. By using hashtags #PlumParents and #GivingTuesday, you can see pictures of our dads across the country supporting families in need.

Giving Tuesday is a global day of outreach dedicated to helping others. It’s meant to kick-off the holiday season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities. Since its 2012 inception, tens of thousands of organizations worldwide annually participate in the day.

This will be the fourth consecutive year City Dads outposts around the country have participated in Giving Tuesday activities, and the second that Plum Organics has served as our national sponsor.

DISCLOSURE: Plum Organics is partnering with City Dads Group for the Giving Tuesday work mentioned above through a donation of goods and financial compensation.

City Dads Group and Plum Organics® teamed to support children and families in need Nov. 29 by donating, packing and distributing food in seven U.S. locations as part of our Giving Tuesday outreach efforts. Watch this video, compiled by and produced by San Francisco Dad Group member Mike Heenan, to see our fathers in action:

Plum Organics, the nation’s leading organic baby food brand, donated more than 24,000 meals (almost three tons of food!) to charitable organizations chosen by City Dads Group chapters in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and the Minneapolis/St. Paul.

In addition:

• The Charlotte Dads Group donated to the Salvation Army angel tree and partnered with Trees Charlotte to plant 300 trees at a local middle school.
• Our Las Vegas group made a large donation of clothing, toys and grooming supplies to Safe Nest, a center that helps men, women, and children who are victims of domestic crisis.
• Our Chicago dads also packed food for the Feed My Starving Children nonprofit.
• The NYC Dads Group also helped sort and bundle clothes for GOOD+ Foundation, a nonprofit group that works with a network of more than 100 community-based organizations across the country to distribute essentials to families in need.

San Diego dads: You are no longer on your own.

City Dads Group has started a new chapter of its social and support network for fathers in the southern California coastal metropolis.

The San Diego Dads Group is our 25th chapter in the United States and our fourth in California. It joins Fresno, Los Angeles and San Francisco in The Golden State.

You can find the San Diego Dads Group on these social media channels:

• Meetup (go here to join the group)
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

The timing of the addition is perfect as the sixth Dad 2.0 Summit is scheduled to be held in San Diego in February. City Dads Group has been a media partner for the annual meeting between fathers and brands.

Meet our San Diego Dads Organizer

Tim Cushanick, 31, serves at the San Diego Dads Group’s organizer. The married father of two, ages 2.5 years and 5 months, works full time for the U.S. government. He teaches shiphandling to newly commissioned naval officers. Cushanick served as surface warfare officer in the U.S. Navy for nearly eight years and continues to serve in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He also writes the blog Daddy Battlefield that focuses on fatherhood and the military.

City Dads Group is a dynamic and diverse community of fathers redefining, by example, what it means to be a dad in the 21st century. Our national support network has more than 5,500 members based in and around major metropolitan U.S. cities. These include Atlanta, Boston, New York, Chicago, Dallas and Denver.

Founded in November 2008 in New York City as a way a handful of fathers could arrange playdates and outings with their children. The organization went national in 2014.

Photo: Justin in SD Calm San Diego Night via photopin (license)

The West Coast has become a little more daddly with the addition of the Fresno Dads Group to the heart of California’s Central Valley.

The Fresno chapter is the third California outpost for City Dads Group, following Los Angeles and San Francisco.

You can find the Fresno Dads Group on these social media channels:

• Meetup (go here to join the group)
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Shane Sherman and Steven Stankivicz serve as co-organizers of the Fresno Dads Group, the 23rd outpost of City Dads Group’s national support and social network. The group started several years ago as the Fresno Area Dads on Facebook.

Sherman, 44, a father of what he says are two “awesome, rambunctious boys,” is a California credentialed physical education teacher by profession and a certified sports massage therapist by trade.

“When my wife and I moved to Fresno, I was starving for adult interaction and places to take our kids. My wife discovered Fresno Area Dads on Facebook and suggested I join, which I did. I think I was the 59th member at the time,” he said. “Eventually, I started meeting more and more dads at parks, the zoo, play places all over the place. … Our group has grown from 59 members to almost 200 in the last three years.”

Stankivicz, 28, a father of what he calls “one sassy and beautiful 2-year-old girl,” has worked in the public safety industry for nine years, first for a large metro ambulance company and now as a police officer for a small foothill community.

Taking Fresno Dads to the next level

“I felt like I was ready to take the (Facebook) group to the next level but I needed some help to best serve the fathers in my community and that is why I decided to reach out to City Dads Group,” said Stankivicz, whose wife is expecting a second child in November. “Since Shane has been so active in the group I invited him to also join me in reaching out to City Dads Group. We are honored and very excited to be a part of the CDG and look forward to what the future holds for us.”

City Dads Group is a dynamic and diverse community of fathers redefining, by example, what it means to be a dad in the 21st century. Our national support network has more than 5,000 members based in and around major metropolitan U.S. cities including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Founded in November 2008 in New York City as a way a handful of fathers could arrange playdates and outings with their children, the organization went national in 2014.

Our friends at Dove Men+Care are once again showing dads some love this Father’s Day. Check out this new video featuring moments that men are finding out that they are going to be dads:

According to the press release for the campaign, Dove Men+Care has conducted global research on men, and found that  82% of men believe having a child changes the way they think about what it means to be a man. They also highlight the fact that they “want to ensure that Dad’s care is highly visible — that fathers are shown for the deeply caring men they are, and that all dads grow stronger as a result.” Cheers to that!

Dove Men+Care is also sponsoring a new site on Medium called To All Dads— on ongoing series of open letters from dads to dads. I had the opportunity to write a letter to expecting dads called Jump In, The Water is Water. Here are some of the other letters that have been posted so far:

• City Dads Group Co-Founder Lance Somerfeld writes How to Fail at Planning
• Friends and The Handsome Father Co-Founders Andy Miller and Brian Stephens each wrote a letter. Andy writes I’m Paying Attention, What Raising a Son with ADHD Has Taught Me. Brian writes To My 20-Year-Old Self, Advice from a Gay Dad Who Never Knew He’d Get Here

Definitely bookmark the To All Dads page– more letters will be posted in the coming days.

Finally, Dove Men+Care also welcomed some City Dads Group members and other local dads to participate in NBA Fantasy Camps in LA and San Francisco.

Dads and kids were coached by NBA legend Robert Horry and former Clippers/Nets coach Don Casey. L.A. Dads Group Co-Organizer Zach Rosenberg had this to say about the day:

Dove Men+Care knows how to put together an event. They’re great at finding a guest speaker who really has a story to tell. In this case, Basketball legend Robert Horry – a man who’s won championships with three teams – but also has a deep narrative of being a son and a father. Before we got to know Horry as a father, we got to know him as a coach, as he put us to work on the court. He worked with the dads, who were in awe of meeting a legend, and he worked with the kids, who didn’t know why their dads kept saying ‘THAT’S Robert Horry!’ After playing ball, we settled down in a meeting room and heard Horry talk about his life growing up with a military dad and his trials in losing one of his children to a rare disease. Horry has always been one of my favorite Los Angeles Lakers, so hearing him speak candidly about family was a truly great experience. My son walked out of the camp enjoying basketball more, and with, I think, a slightly deeper understanding of the love between fathers and their children. It’s also given us something new to do at the park – now that my son can say ‘one of the old Lakers taught me how to shoot!’

LA Dads Group Co-Organizer Trevor Mulligan added, they went over some basketball skills and showed how to improve not only our game on the court but also our game in life. It’s all about your base, create a good base and from there everything else will become easier!”

We are blown away by the way that Dove Men+Care is helping to reframe the conversation about fatherhood, and grateful that we continue to have the opportunity to contribute to their work in a variety of different ways. Many thanks to the whole Dove Men+Care team!

City Dads Groups across the country came together last night to get mad for March Madness. Dove Men+Care graciously sponsored events to let fathers get out of the house for the evening and into the start of the nation’s biggest college basketball tournament.

Here are reports and photos from our members:

“You really need to be a part of this.”

At one point I thought I’d have to pry the pizza slices and pint glasses from the hands of our dads to get them to “bring it in” for a group picture. The magnetism of the conversations taking place around the room was a strong draw; the appetizers, too enticing to forgo for a photo. But, eventually, they put their dad tales on pause, took a lasting sip of pale ale to tide them over and convened beneath the big screen TV to preserve the moment for posterity.

“Want me to take the photo?” asked a mom, seated with her family, a few tables away. I nodded in appreciation and she handed her son off to the man in the next chair and came for my camera, the throng of guys around me erupted in applause, laughter, good cheer.

“What is this,” she asked. “A softball team? A leadership conference? A book club?” She giggled.

“Dad’s Night Out!” came the collective shout and as I turned a second to take in the faces of pure joy around me – shoulders high in a posture of pride and organic, spontaneous high-fives. I saw big Mark, hair still damp from his after-softball-practice shower. I saw Andrew, still locked in conversation with the dad to his left, expounding the virtues of our group of active and involved fathers, taking the lead on the planning of our next Playground Playgroup outing. I saw authors, freelance writers, dad bloggers and avid book readers, alike.

“Yeah, something like that,” I told the mom with the camera. “A little bit of everything, really, with one fantastic common denominator.” And as she set the camera to autofocus and backed up a few steps to get us all in the frame, she motioned her own husband over, who, in turn, handed his son to the man to his left at their table.

“What’s up, hon?” he asked.

“Get in this photo,” she insisted, “You really need to be a part of this.” And then another ovation from the dads as our new friend found his place among us and his Mrs. finally got the shot.

— Mike Heenan, San Francisco Dads Group

March Madness party in the NYC

We had one of the more diverse groups in attendance in New York City. There were even several new members present. Folks enjoyed lots of tasty appetizers, indulged in equally tasty beverages, but most importantly, bonded while spending time watching college hoops. Some folks wore apparel representing their college affiliation while others discussed their favorite all-time college teams and players.

The evening’s pinnacle came when it felt like we were watching a tennis match, heads swiveling back and forth while we tried to view both the UNC/Harvard barnburner and the Cincinnati/Purdue overtime effort. That kind of watching took some #RealStrength

 — Christopher Persley, NYC Dads Group

Talkin’ brackets to the “terrible twos”

Surrounded by 42 screens at Shoeless Joe’s in the Rosemont suburb, our Chicago Dads Group enjoyed a night of food, drinks and camaraderie. From talking about their brackets to the “terrible twos,” the group had a nice evening just hanging out and being around other like-minded dads.

All the dads in attendance had their eyes on the games, too, as they hoped their favorite teams would advance to the next round. By the end of the night, you could tell by their faces that some dads were happy with the outcome while others were just hoping that their bracket would survive the madness.

Thanks to Dove Men+Care for their continued support of fathers and fatherhood, even when their brackets may not be doing well, for sponsoring a wonderful event like this March Madness Dads’ Night Out.

 — Victor Aragon, Chicago Dads Group

Swapping stories

On Thursday, 25 other dads and I in Chicago (and hundreds around the country) gathered together to drink beer, eat chicken wings, watch college basketball, and trade dad stories.

Not the ones where you haven’t seen your kid all week, and you missed the recital, and now you are going to fix it all with ice cream for dinner — I’m talking more like “how we found out that my son has Celiac’s disease, and why we cook three dinners a night to feed our family.” Or “which playgrounds in which order we are going to go to, once the weather gets warm.” And occasionally some B.K. (before kids) stories: backpacking in Syria, books we read when we had time to read books without pictures, etc. Oh yes, and we made the occasional dick joke.

I just moved to Chicago, so I didn’t know most of the guys, but it was a pleasure to get to know them in a casual style. In New York, where I was a member of the NYC Dads Group, these gatherings were in many ways a non-traditional water cooler at work where you take a minute to share the news of the day, chat about problems at work, and maybe figure out something that’s been bothering you.

— Adam Gertsacov, Chicago Dads Group

City Dads Group members strapped their babies to their chests and visited the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, toured a professional football stadium in San Francisco, and climbed the famous “Rocky” steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art among the many activities our fathers participated in as part of last week’s celebration of International Babywearing Week.

All 13 City Dads Groups across the United States did something with babies on board their new baby carriers, courtesy of Britax — a longtime supporter of our organization. Our dads and their kids visited places as family-friendly as the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio, as unexpected as Fremont Street in the historic Las Vegas downtown, and as potentially exhausting as hiking through Mariposa Basin Park in Albuquerque – all to promote the many advantages and benefits of wearing your baby.

Our teams’ efforts received praise around the world with articles and photo spreads in sources usual (The Good Men Project, Indy Star) and unusual (China Daily’s website).

Here’s some highlights from last week:

The Hollywood sign can be spotted behind these members of our L.A. Dads Group standing just outside the Griffith Observatory.

Yo! Adrian! Our Philly Dads Group climbed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art just like a certain fictional boxer did.

The World of Coca-Cola received a tour from baby-wearing members of our babywearing Atlanta Dads Group.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium was toured by our babywearing Columbus Dads Group.

Our babywearing NYC Dads Group stands tall with their babies along the city’s High Line park, a converted elevated subway track.

*Disclosure: City Dads Group received free Brtiax baby carriers as well as compensation for this babywearing week sponsored event.  We only work with brands that create products or services that we believe in and use ourselves.  The opinions expressed in this blog entry are authentic and our own.