COMMUNITY SUPPORT
There is value in having a supportive, male role model in childhood, and a local apartment complex is providing the opportunity for fathers to spend more time with their kids as well as for kids without male mentors to get that same opportunity. Riverstone Apartments Resident Services Coordinator Rob Rodriguez started the program Dad’Zone in order to strengthen the community, “ensuring children have the guidance and encouragement they need to develop confidence and resilience.”
“Dads want to be heard, and they are best heard by other Dads,” Rodriguez said. “I would love to see this program expand across the company. It’s needed at every property.”
Austin Koester is a volunteer with Dad’Zone.
“It’s just a good place for residents of Riverstone, for fathers to bring their children and enjoy some snacks and activities. It’s just a good time to bring the families closer,” Koester said. “Sometimes circumstances [make it so] children don’t have that access [to a father figure] or the mother is the primary caregiver, what have you, so I think it’s just an emphasis on bringing fathers together with children.”
While it is a great chance for dads to interact with their kids. It’s also an opportunity for kids that don’t normally interact with male adult mentors to get to do so.
“I don’t have any children of my own, but I did volunteer just so the kids that showed up without fathers did have a kind of parental figure to hang out with and have somebody to enjoy activities with,” Koester said. “My role is as a mentor; I just show up, hang out and talk to the kids. I try to help them break down their walls to open up and talk to you — talk about their school sports, video games — and make them feel comfortable.”
Koester encourages other complexes to initiate similar programs.
“I really strongly encourage them to invest in not just Dad’Zone, which is specifically geared towards dads, but other family oriented activities,” Koester said. “I think it just helps build a sense of community for the complex that I haven’t seen with most complex’ management. And to be honest, it was a lot of fun. It was a great time to connect with the kids, the other dads that were there, to talk to Rob and just build the community.”
Learn more about the program at this link sanmarcosrecord. com/article/ 29540,dad-zone-program- strengthens-fatherchild- bonds-and-builds -community.
