Family Economic Security

Investing in families pays off

The birth of my daughter came just about 1 year after starting a new job in the non-profit sector. I was fortunate in that the organization I work for is run by warm and kind people who appreciate and value the staff. Our staff of seven people were also fairly young on average when I started, and...

Family leave and self-employment

I just watched my three year old “graduate” from her first year of preschool. It was a cute ceremony, and the room was filled with parents that sat in long rows with their cameras trained on the kids up front. But it's also 11am on a Friday, and that means I was one of the only dads in the room...

An Organizing Dad

I’m a Dad. Even three years and two kids later, defining myself in that way still seems somewhat surreal. I’m also a Community Organizer. I have been for 13 years... and believe me that’s often very surreal as well. You see, the life of an Organizer isn’t like most. You are seen as a community...

Unanticipated rewards

Here’s a quiz: see if you can figure out what kind of dad I am. If you ask them, my children may very well tell you I am their “fake daddy”. My children are not biologically related to me, don’t share my last name, and they all don’t even currently live with me. But I can assure you, I’m a real dad...