Our Dads are AWESOME!!

The way his little girl looks at him. How his son looks up to him. The security she feels after saying, “I do.” Friend, lover, leader and provider are words that personify our Dads. You can find our Fathers mentoring Rites of Passage Initiates, attending events of other family’s children or getting together over lunch or dinner to discuss approaches and strategies to raising great children in a challenging world. Our Father’s Auxiliary is engaged and they support one another. We are blessed to have such an active group.

The Father’s Auxiliary typically participates in three main activities each year: The Monitors Golf Tournament, the Rites of Passage Program (the chapter’s signature fundraising event) and two separate social bonding activities. The Monitors Golf Tournament is an annual fundraising event for the Monitors Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation and is the philanthropic arm of the Monitors Club, an organization of professional African-American men who share a common interest in advancing the well-being of the Twin Cities community. The Foundation’s primary mission is to support programs targeted at developing and enhancing the academic, leadership and social skills of youth in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. The Foundation typically provides the Minneapolis Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. a $5,000 grant towards the Rites of Passage Program.

The Rites of Passage Program is a six-month program designed to recognize and assist young African-American men in the transition to adulthood. The goal of the Program is to acknowledge and support young African-American males in their efforts to lead positive, productive lives. The Rites of Passage Program recognizes African American high school seniors from around the Minneapolis area. Under the leadership and guidance of successful African American males (mainly the Father’s Auxiliary), the initiates are immersed in a variety of workshops and activities focusing on time management, college application and financial aid/ planning, community service, life skills, male personal and mental health, and social and personal responsibility.