AUBURN GRESHAM — Kids who have their fathers in their lives are less likely to enter a life of crime, a South Side group says, and a state commission hopes a free symposium on the subject will get more dads involved.
"The most effective way to stop violence is by fighting discrimination and re-engaging fathers with their children," said Jeffery Leving, chairman of the Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood, who has a 24-year-old daughter. "As many as 24 million children live [without] their biological father, and the most reliable predictor of crime and violence in America is a father's absence."
The 2014 Responsible Fatherhood Symposium runs from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at St. Sabina Church, 1210 W. 78th Place., and is being sponsored by the council.
Previous symposiums were attended by as many as 500 people, said Leving, a Chicago men's rights attorney, who hopes to surpass that number this year.
"The purpose of this symposium is to re-engage the communities of men to safeguard their children and stop the violence," he added. "We need to put more fathers in the home not put more police on the streets."
That's why Leving said he is encouraging all fathers to attend the event with their children.
"Fathers should bring their children to the event especially their sons because boys can’t be what they can’t see," Leving said.
The Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Church, agreed.
"This is our first time hosting the symposium. Anything St. Sabina can do to encourage relationships between fathers and their children, we will do it," Pfleger said. "Getting fathers more involved in the lives of youths will help reduce the violence and destruction tearing apart communities all over this city."
Leving said there's no easy way to raise children, especially if you are a single parent.
"The decisions you make will shape the lives of your children," Leving said. "The decisions are critical and there is no handbook and no guide."
Those planning to attend should RSVP by call 312-296-8656 or sending an email to info@responsiblefatherhood.com.
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