K-LOVE’s Positive People – by Rafael Sierra, Jr. (complete podcast available) (more Positive People stories)
Vincent Mercer from Moncks Corner, South Carolina, knows how important it is for dads to be there for their children. He helps lead Father to Father, a program that helps low-income non-custodial fathers (and some moms) overcome life barriers that keep them from being involved with their children.
“The kids are the most important thing in your life. You have a role as a man, as a father to be a provider to that child because down the line the child is going to ask the mother, ‘where was dad — where is dad?’”
Vincent says the goal is to build strong relationships between fathers and their kids. He says by helping these dads overcome life barriers, their children might “have that father, that provider, that support system, so that that child and that family become successful.”
As a father himself, Vincent understands the importance of a dad being there for his children. By doing so, Vincent says, “that child is less likely to be incarcerated, more likely to finish high school, more likely to be successful in the job market,” and have better interactions with their peers.
“I just want to see them succeed,” says Vincent. “I just want to work hard with them and let them know that there are resources and tools out there and that everybody is pulling for them to succeed.” He says he prays every night, hoping these dads “can get themselves in a position where they can be the fathers they want to be.”
Click the full interview below