February 18, 2004

According to the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI), the rise of father absence is the most sweeping and consequential social change of the latter half of the 20^th century, with 24 million American children sleeping in homes where their natural father does not live.  The NFI also reported that children from father-absent homes are five times more likely to live in poverty, three times more likely to fail in school and three times more likely to commit suicide.

The courts are taking a much tougher stand in dealing with non-custodial parents who have fallen behind or fail to make mandated child support payments.  However, in some cases, these parents have real obstacles in making support payments, and the courts have recognized this.  In an effort to aide these individuals, Calhoun Community College has partnered with the Morgan County Department of Human Resources, the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services, Decatur Youth Services, Decatur CareerLink, PACT (Parents and Children Together) and Morgan County District Judges David Breland and David Bibb to provide short-term employment and skills training services to assist underemployed and unemployed non-custodial parents who have fallen significantly behind on their child support payments.

A news conference is planned for Friday, February 27, 2004, beginning at 10:00 am in Calhoun’s Aerospace Training Center on the Decatur campus to formally kick-off the program and announce the details of how it will operate.  Individuals scheduled to make comments during the announcement include Judges Breland and Bibb; Calhoun President Marilyn Beck; State Representative Laura Hall (who also works as Assistant to the President for Special Projects at Calhoun); Larry Ayers, Director of the Morgan County DHR; Martha Cantrell of the Alabama Department of Human Resources; and local attorney Cary McWhorter.

Calhoun is one of nine community colleges in the state selected to pilot the Alabama Fatherhood Initiative program. The program is designed to provide employment opportunities to under- and unemployed non-custodial parents through increased educational and short-term skills training opportunities, adult education classes, and pre-employment skills to get these individuals into the workforce sooner.  In addition, it provides realistic alternatives to incarceration for non-custodial parents who want to work and meet their financial responsibilities to their children and training completion certification and assistance in obtaining viable employment opportunities.

Funding for tuition for program participants will be provided through Welfare-to-Work and the Workforce Investment Act.

Coverage of this release:

• Calhoun Announces New Alabama Fatherhood Initiatives Program, ChamberWire, a publication of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, March 2004
• New program helps fathers support children, The Decatur Daily, Sunday morning, February 29, 2004 issue, p. B4
• WHNT-TV Channel 19, Huntsville, AL, Saturday, February 28, 2004, 6:00 & 7:00 a.m. newscasts.
• Helping parents pay support, The Huntsville Times, Saturday, February 28, 2004 issue, p. B1
• WEUP Radio, Huntsville, AL, Friday, February 27, 2004, 4:00 & 5:00 p.m.
• WHNT-TV Channel 19, Huntsville, AL, Friday, February 27, 2004, noon, 6:00 & 10:00 p.m. newscasts.

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