Faces of Fatherhood

Faces of Fatherhood
"Me & My Dad" Book

Working Title: Me & My Dad: Reflections From Prominent Women About Their Dads

Purpose:

The purpose of the book is to create an inspirational collection of essays for girls age 9 to 18 to encourage them to pursue various careers. Many father/daughter books focus on the successful father. This book focuses on daughters who have achieved success either as a result of a meaningful daughter/father relationship or in spite of not having a strong relationship. A secondary objective is to share with young women, who may be growing up in father-absent homes, the knowledge that they, too, can succeed. There are numerous books relating fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters, but none highlighting the role men have played in their daughters’ lives. Additionally, the emphasis for many girls is or has been on physical image (body image, the “right” clothes, etc.) and the intention is to provide girls with stories of women that inspire them to look beyond their physical image, to build positive self-confidence from within and empower them to find their own creative path in the world.

"I am 14 years old, but my father left me when I learned to say 'daddy'
I see my father a lot in my dreams, but he never turns around. I call for
him, but he keeps walking away .... I wish that stranger would turn around and look at me.
Maybe if he saw all the pain and suffering from
living without him, in my eyes, he would become a part of my life."

- Crystal, 9th Grade

This book is dedicated to all the girls, like Crystal, who yearn for a relationship with their fathers and whose lives would be more complete with the care, love, and attention a father can provide.

Target Audience:

The primary target audience are women ages 9 to 18. We hope to make Me & My Dad available widely through; libraries, schools, groups (such as Girl Scouts, YWCA, YMCA Indian Princesses, Boys & Girls Clubs, and Big Brothers Big Sisters), companies hosting Take Our Daughters To Work events, and On-line.

Contents:

The objective is to accumulate 24 or more essays written by prominent women, from a wide variety of careers, about the role their father played or didn’t play in their personal development and success. Essayists may also write about other significant male role models who may have served as “father-figures.” Essayists will be selected from different careers, based on their accomplishments, and ability to communicate effectively about their daughter/father relationship. In doing so we intend to provide young women with important insights about careers, interpersonal relationships, and the knowledge that, while dad can play an influential role, if he is not present (physically, emotionally, or spiritually) others may fulfill this important role.

Outline of Book:

The editor’s introduction will include a historical perspective on the important role fathers play in the lives of children. Each essayist will be asked to complete a brief biography form (including: education, career history, significant accomplishments, awards/honors, personal accomplishments, birth date/place, spouse, children/ages), submit an essay of 1,000 to 1,500 words, and where appropriate, a photograph with their dad. We will also include artwork from young women depicting daughter/father relationships and a selection of essays written by 3rd through 12th grade girls about their fathers and father-figures (like Crystal’s essay above). The book will have 12 chapters, one for each of the following careers/fields of interest. They are listed here in alphabetical order: 1) Authors; 2) Business; 3) Children, Education & Youth; 4) Entertainment; 5) Health & Science; 6) Humanitarians; 7) Military; 8) Non-Profit Leader; 9) Politics & Government; 10) Religion; 11) Sports; and 12) Volunteers. Note: No more than four women will be chosen from each field of interest to provide the reader with a balanced overview of perspectives from different pursuits.

Corporate Partners/Supporters:

Working Mother Magazine annually recognizes “The 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers.” We hope to approach HR professionals at some of these companies to seek their financial support. Perennial top 10 companies include: Bristol Myers Squibb (NY), Citigroup (NY), Fannie Mae (DC), IBM (NY), Marriott International (DC), Morgan Stanley (NY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (NY), Procter & Gamble (OH), Prudential (NJ), Texas Instruments (TX). Illinois based companies in the top 100 include: Abbott Labs, ABN AMRO NA, Allstate, Bank One, Household International, Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, The Northern Trust, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, SEARS, United Airlines, and Zurich North America.

We also intend to seek sponsorship from companies who market to young women including; The Gap, Limited II, Abercrombie & Fitch, cosmetic companies, and music sellers.

Essayist Prospects:

Essayists will be asked to submit an essay of 1,000 to 1,500 words describing the relationship they had (have) with their father/father-figure and how he made or didn’t make a difference in her life. Essayists will be reminded of the 9 to 18 year old audience and asked to reflect on questions such as:

- What was the best/worst advice he gave you about; your career, men, life?
- What was your most enjoyable memory of your (or you and your) dad?
- What was the most difficult situation you confronted growing up and the role your dad played?
- What type of rituals or routines did you and your dad share?
- Did you have any secrets?

As a thank you, each woman who submits an essay, will be given 50 copies of Me & My Dad to be distributed as they see fit.

Time Line:

Here is a rough timeline for the first edition of Daddy’s Little Girl.

4Q2007         Send letters of request to prospects.
                        Secure initial round of funding.
                        Begin development of text, graphics, and layout.
                        Secure ISBN number.
1Q2008         Accumulate essays.
                        Refine text, select graphics, and finalize layout.
                        Continue to secure funding.
March             Go to press.
2Q2008         Debut book and distribute as widely as possible.

About Faces of Fatherhood:

Founded in 1997, Faces of Fatherhood, Inc. is an Illinois-based 501( c)3, non profit organization, whose mission is connecting children and fathers from the time of birth and throughout their lives. FFI supports various child father organizations across the country and produces resources to heighten awareness for the importance of responsible fathering and to help equip men to become better fathers and father figures. FFI maintains a website at www.teamdad.com, has produced and distributed more than 500,000 of the award winning Faces of Fatherhood Calendars and 800,000 of the TEAMDAD Father-Friendly Resource Guide.