For Immediate Release Contact: Linda McLaughlin
203-273-4634 Saint Joseph Parenting Center
Saint Joseph Parenting Center Fathers Program Receives $50,000 Grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation
STAMFORD, CT – In recognition of the critical role fathers fill in determining the short- and long-term health, happiness and potential of their children, the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation has awarded a second consecutive $50,000 grant to the Saint Joseph Parenting Center (SJPC) Dads Are the Difference (DAD) Program. The first grant was awarded in June 2021. The second was announced June 25, 2022, in honor of Father’s Day.
“It is a tremendous endorsement for us to receive this grant once again from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation,” said SJPC Executive Director Rhonda Neal. “It shows they see what we see—that the support we provide is making a difference for the dads who come to us. And, most importantly, in making a difference for these fathers, we are making a difference for the children they are raising.”
The DAD Program aims to connect fathers in a safe space so that they can share their experiences and learn just how important their role as a father is. Offered in English and Spanish, the free program consists of 30 parenting classes with topics ranging from healthy communication, co-parenting, child development and discipline strategies to budgeting and employment readiness.
“At SJPC, I have found support and guidance to become a better father and a better person. Completing these classes has been a great achievement; I have learned new parenting techniques, and have learned from other parent clients as well,” said Arnoldo, a DAD Program participant.
Founded in 2009, SJPC is a non-profit organization with centers in Stamford and Danbury serving moms and dads as well as others filling these parenting roles. While concentrated on strengthening families at risk of child abuse and neglect through parent education and community support programs, SJPC also helps parents who proactively seek ways to do their best by their kids, to reverse unhealthy patterns they may have been born into themselves. In 2021, SJPC served 350 parents, a number that is on track to increase 22% this year.
“At SJPC, we do our best for parents so they can do their best for their children,” Neal said.
For more information about SJPC and the Dads Are the Difference Program, please contact Lauren Goodman at ,[email protected] (Stamford Center Director) or Crystal Perkins at ,[email protected] (Danbury Center Director).
About Saint Joseph Parenting Center
Founded in 2009, Stamford-based Saint Joseph Parenting Center is a community-based resource for parents with children from birth through age 12. SJPC provides supportive parenting-education classes and case management to help parents foster healthy parenting patterns in an effort to decrease the incidence of child abuse and neglect. Our client population ranges from parents in their early 20s to those in their late 50s; 59% are women, 41% are men. Approximately 90% of our clients are low to moderate income; 60% are Latinx and speak Spanish as their primary language. SJPC has served more than 1,700 parents since inception. In February 2022, SJPC opened a second location in Danbury. Learn more about Saint Joseph Parenting Center at www.sjpcenter.org.
About the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation
The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation is committed to inspiring philanthropy and community service by creating awareness, offering guidance, and leading by example to show the world what giving can do. The Foundation’s grants support nonprofit organizations based in the United States that either help people in need or solve complex problems. The Foundation also spearheads grassroots campaigns to encourage others to give. For more information, visit www.steveandalex.org