Care Net of Owensboro recently expanded its ministry to intentionally serve fathers, and a faith-based group of local men invested $9,505 in the pregnancy resource center to see that program continue to flourish.
10,000 Reasons, a non-entity that meets quarterly to give back to non-profits in Daviess County, heard presentations from three organizations before casting their votes on Aug. 19 to select Care Net Owensboro (CNO) as the winner. Each member brings $100, which goes directly to each quarterly donation recipient.
Latricia Duckworth, executive director of CNO, said it was “providential” to speak to a room full of men about the issue of fatherhood.
“When we first started this program [in July of 2024], we began to look into the statistics that are coming out about fatherlessness in our nation and about the effects of single-parent households on children’s wellbeing,” Duckworth told Kentucky Today. “We felt compelled … to help the young dads in our community, so we began this project after a year’s preparation and then the 10,000 Reasons group have sown into it. This is the first large particular gift toward the fatherhood program, and we are truly grateful for the opportunity to gain that support.”
Duckworth said that fatherhood ministry is “vital” in the context of pregnancy help ministry, noting how the involvement of fathers in decision-making processes related to abortion and parenting can impact what a woman chooses to do with her unplanned pregnancy.
In the first year of the program’s operation, John Hogue, CNO’s fatherhood team lead, and two volunteers provided 250 dad coaching sessions. The video-driven curriculum covers pregnancy, baby care basics, taking care of the postpartum mother, the challenges of parenthood, discipline, teaching manner, navigating tech and providing leadership and consistency as a father, among other topics.
“They’ll bring the biblical worldview into the study, and we always ask our clients if we can pray with them at the end of the session, and most all of them will allow him to pray for them,” Duckworth said.
And, at some point during the dad coaching sessions, CNO’s fatherhood team will share the gospel with participants.
Duckworth said the fatherhood program is a wonderful opportunity for CNO, which has been serving Owensboro families for two decades.
“We’ve been doing it for 20 years for women, and sometimes dads would come, but there wasn’t a particular program for them,” Duckworth said. “Now that we have the fatherhood program, we’re seeing that some of these young men are really, really engaging and appreciating it.”
(Photo: Care Net Owensboro, a pregnancy center in Daviess County, received nearly $10,000 from 10,000 Reasons in late August, courtesy of Kentucky Today)
By Tessa Redmond, Kentucky Today
