Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Kimberly-Clark Corporation Announce FAMILY PLUS INSPIRATIONAL FATHER AWARD Winners

Five Outstanding Fathers Recognized for their Commitment to Community

ATLANTA, June 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Five fathers across the country today received the Family PLUS Inspirational Father Award from Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and the Kimberly-Clark Corporation. As an award winner, each father will receive a Family PLUS gift basket and a $250 gift card to the supermarket of his choice.

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The five award winners are: Chad VanDonkelaar, Boys & Girls Club of Martin County, Hobe Sound, Fla.; Dave Young, Ludlow Boys & Girls Club, Ludlow, Mass.; Angel Torres, Boys & Girls Club of McAllen, McAllen, TX; Carlos Martinez-Olivas, East Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club, Los Angeles, Calif.; and Michael Rice, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, Detroit, Mich.

Fathers play an integral role in shaping the lives of youth, at home and in the Club. Research shows that children who grow up without responsible fathers are more likely to experience poverty, struggle in school, abuse drugs or alcohol and become involved in crime.  Involved fathers and male caregivers promote children's academic success, social and emotional development and positive behavior.

Clubs report that getting fathers involved in programming encourages youth participation and improves behavior and the Family PLUS program seeks to do just that – keep fathers involved to see improved behaviors among our young people's lives.

The awards are being presented to these exceptional fathers across the country by Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Kimberly-Clark Corporation to celebrate the unique contributions that fathers, grandfathers and male caregivers make to their Club's family strengthening efforts. Each Club submitted a 500 word essay that described how their father has inspired other members' parents and the community at-large to exceed the Club leadership's expectations.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Kimberly-Clark Corporation are pleased to recognize these five fathers for the enhancements they made in the lives of Club kids and parents, and encourage them to continue inspiring, leading and uniting others to do the same.  

Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) is a Boys & Girls Clubs of America initiative that helps Clubs integrate family strengthening activities into their programming. The initiative is supported through a five-year, $7 million contribution by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. "Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Kimberly-Clark Corporation understand that when a father is involved in a child's life, there is a positive correlation with the child's educational outcomes and life expectations," says Jose Cruz, director, Family Strengthening, BGCA. "We created the Family PLUS Inspirational Father Awards to recognize those fathers that help children live productive lives."

To learn more about Family PLUS and to read these inspirational stories, visit http://familyplus.bgca.org.

About Family PLUS

A comprehensive family support strategy by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org), Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) allows Boys & Girls Clubs to partner with families like yours, ensuring that parents and caregivers have the opportunities and assistance they need to better their children's lives. This initiative is generously supported by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation (www.kimberly-clark.com).  To learn more about Family PLUS, visit http://familyplus.bgca.org.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America