Dads’ Resource Center opens its doors online

Fathers of Centre County, the internet has not forgotten about you.

Earlier this month, the Dads’ Resource Center website went live, bringing with it a menu full of links with titles like “The Importance of Fatherhood,” “Domestic Violence and PFAs” and “What Comes After Separation.”

Joel Myers, the site’s founder, said those divergent strands all add up to a common thread.

“In the end it’s all about the children,” Myers said.

That and encouraging fathers — the ones that are financially responsible and respectful co-founders, at any rate — to be involved in the lives of their kids.

Many of the resources on the site are directed toward helping parents navigate the division of a family.

“When that comes apart it’s very raw and there’s a lot going on,” said Jeff Steiner, the center’s executive director.

The site covers everything from the intricacies of custody law to co-parenting post-divorce. Phone numbers are also provided for local counselors and divorce coaches.

While there are plans to eventually hold support meetings and informational lectures for local fathers, the center presently exists entirely on the web.

“The website is the storefront and also the actual resource center,” Steiner said.

While helping the initiative get up on its feet, Steiner spoke with Anne Ard, his counterpart at the Centre County Women’s Resource Center.

Ard sees room for the Dads’ Resource Center in the local human services landscape.

“I think everybody can learn more about what it means to be a good parent,” she said.

She connected Steiner with representatives from the Centre County Domestic and Sexual Violence Task Force, who provided feedback on the site and made suggestions for improvement.

One example can be found by following the “Domestic Violence and PFAs” link, where explicit instructions spell out how to follow a Protection from Abuse Order to the letter of the law.

Ard called the finished site “wholistic.”

“Frankly, the information on there is probably pertinent to moms as well as dads,” Ard said.

The Dads’ Resource Center is located at dadsrc.org.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Dads’ Resource Center opens its doors online."