Thursday, March 28, 2002

A story published today by the El Paso Times reports that David Sanchez remembers the anxiety he felt two years ago when he first learned he was becoming a father. Unmarried at the time, he faced a lot of decisions and fears.

Now 24, David Sanchez is a case manager for the YWCA's El Paso Young Fathers Project, said he sees the same anxiety in the new fathers he now helps to get job training or go beyond a high-school diploma so that they can become responsible fathers involved in their children's lives.

But to become responsible fathers, the men, young and old, need the community's help, Sanchez said Wednesday during the Paso Del Norte Leadership Summit on Fatherhood. The host was the National Fatherhood Initiative of Texas.

Sanchez said, "We're looking for support, so we invited these leaders because we feel they can help us come up with solutions, because the idea of programs for fathers is still new."

According to the U.S. census, households headed by single females make up 18 percent of El Paso County's 210,022 households, compared with 12.7 percent of Texas' 7.39 million households.

John Chacóón, executive director of the National Fatherhood Initiative of Texas, said these numbers don't have to be bad news as long as the father or a male role model is involved and the community helps him along.

"The intent of bringing in these community leaders is to develop a community action plan that promotes responsible fathers," Chacóón said. "The community leaders can become more father- inclusive in the services they provide."

County Judge Dolores Briones, keynote speaker at the summit, said fatherless daughters are 92 percent more likely to fail in their own marriages. Fatherless sons are 32 percent more likely to fail in their marriages, and much more likely to be incarcerated in state juvenile institutions.

"It's truly a problem that affects generations. The marital status isn't what is important, it's that both parents are involved," said Briones, a single mother of two. "You can see the consequence in the academic life of children, their social behaviors and the relationship problems these children face when they grow older."

For Jeff Dykema, Sunshine Community Church pastor, the summit is a step in the right direction.

"I know that it is a big problem and the big question is what can the community do. As a church, we can offer a foundation in morality, values and dignity," Dykema said.

"This is my first exposure to a summit like this, but I'm very excited about the efforts that might help the fathers."