Supplies for GOOD+ Fatherhood Initiative

As summer is wrapping up and we reflect on the past few months, we feel proud of what Baby Buggy has been able
to accomplish through our Fatherhood Initiative! This summer, Baby Buggy supported and celebrated the graduation events and graduates of three New York City fathering programs in the Bronx and Queens.  Graduates received a graduation gift bag including ties and dress shirts from Brooks Brothers; watches from Pixelmoda; grooming sets from Kiehl’s; backpacks from HADDAD; tasty baby food and toddler snacks from Plum Organics; soothing creams
from Episencials; bassinets, carriers and travel cots from Phil and Ted’s;  accessories from The Children’s Place; and sippy cups from Green to Grow.

Through our Fatherhood Initiative, Baby Buggy has been able to donate over 35,056 items to fathers enrolled in
fathering programs helping them provide for their families!  These donations include cribs, strollers, clothing, diapers, books and toys, as well as any other essential baby items and gear.  These fathering programs help fathers feel empowered to embrace fatherhood and the responsibilities that accompany it by addressing issues such as relationship building, implementing positive parenting and discipline strategies, improving their relationship with their child’s mother, as well as helping a father establish his role within the family.  These initiatives also help father with career development, finding employment, and financial literacy. 

In cases where the father is no longer in a relationship with his child’s mother, we often hear that his child’s mother is more likely to allow him to visit his child when he comes bearing diapers, clothing, a stroller, etc. Having the father come with a contribution for his child often helps repair the relationship between the father and his child’s mother. 

The following are case highlights for two fathers enrolled in the Fathers First program in Queens:

Salvatore has participated in the Fathers First Program over the last several months.  Recently, after the birth of his daughter Salvatore enrolled in the armed forces.  His wife has since struggled at home raising their daughter.  The donations from Baby Buggy bring great relief to Salvatore while he is away. He feels that he is still able to provide for his family even though he is not there physically.  They were greatly touched by the formula, bottles, Sippy cups, diapers and other baby items that they very much needed.  Salvatore was unable to make the graduation ceremony at Fathers First due to his deployment. Thanks to Baby Buggy’s donation of graduation gifts they were able to send him grooming kits from Keihl’s, Brooks Brothers shirts and other items.  Salvatore was blown away by the gift.

Ronald is a non-custodial father with a 10-month old daughter.  He has a rather rocky relationship with his daughter’s mother, which often results in less time with his daughter.  With the items and supplies from Baby Buggy,
Ronald is able to help provide for his daughter, and at the same time be a significant partner with his child’s mother when it comes to raising their daughter.  He is now able to call her and say that he has things to bring by for her such as diapers, new bottles and clothing.  With each visit he was able to spend time with his daughter as well as provide her with essential items.

We are incredibly proud of these graduates and all of the effort they put into completing these rigorous programs in spite of their many responsibilities and busy schedules.  They all made a great commitment to complete these programs and we look forward to hearing about their accomplishments as they continue on this path of success. 

June has been an exciting month for Baby Buggy’s fathering initiative! We kicked off the month by inviting several families and staff members from the Bronx Fatherhood Program (BFP) to attend Baby Buggy’s fifth Annual Bedtime Bash at Victorian Gardens in Central Park.  The families were guests of Baby Buggy and were able to ride all the fun rides, play all sorts of fun games and have delicious food and treats – they were also sent home with fun gift bags and activity desks from B.Toys.  This was a great opportunity for the families to really enjoy themselves in a stress-free environment (we often hear from our donors that this event is one of their favorite days of the year!).  It also provided the families with an opportunity to bond with each other outside of the program.  It was such so nice to see all the families having such a wonderful time! 

One of the BFP staff members that attended the event shared the following with us:

Dear Baby Buggy,

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for allowing the Bronx Fatherhood Program clients and staff to participate in this year’s bedtime bash. It was tremendously memorable for all of our clients because it gave them an opportunity to unwind with their family and friends.  The Baby Buggy staff was very warm and attentive to our clients and their families, making sure that they were comfortable and enjoying the event. Many of our clients stated that this event was one of the best things they had ever attended. We are very grateful to the Baby Buggy staff and all of the donors who were involved in organizing this amazing event.

A client enrolled in the fathering program had the following to say:

Dear Baby Buggy,

I want to thank you for allowing me and my daughters to participate in such a fun event. My three year old daughter Larissa really enjoyed the rides and characters. Her sister Lauren (one year old) was too young to join in but
she had just as much fun stuffing her face with the tasty food that was provided for us. Aside from the gifts, I mostly appreciate the smiles on my daughters’ faces and the quality time we got to spend together. Again thank you, I am so happy my family had a chance to be apart of such a positive and fun event.

Sincerely,

Brandon

This past week Baby Buggy and some of our Board Members attended the Bronx Fatherhood Program graduation and celebrated the many accomplishments of 19 graduates.  The graduation was incredibly moving and many tears were shed as we honored these dads for all their hard work in completing this intense, 16-week program and overcoming many unthinkable challenges.   Baby Buggy provided each graduate with a graduation gift including ties and dress shirts from Brooks Brothers; watches from Pixelmoda; grooming sets from Khiel’s; backpacks from HADDAD; tasty baby food and toddler snacks from Plum Organics; soothing creams from Episencials; bassinets,
carriers and travel cots from Phil and Ted’s; Lego sets; accessories from Children’s Place; and sippy cups from Green to Grow.  We also donated bath products, diapers and wipes, a crib, strollers, formula and bottles that were generously purchased by members of the NYC Dads Group!

The Bronx Fatherhood Program targets 16-24 year-old non-custodial fathers residing in the South Bronx and was
designed to provide opportunities for fathers to gain access to their children and to increase their understanding of their rights, roles and responsibilities as they relate to parenting.  The program seeks to help these men establish consistent contact with their children, meaningful relationships, and also provides them with material and/or financial
support. 

We look forward to providing the 140+ Bronx Fatherhood clients with regular donations of gear, diapers, clothing, books and other baby items to support the incredible work they are doing!

Links:

• Visit our website to learn more about Baby Buggy!