D.A.D.'s Club steps up to help Cane Bay Elementary

Dads are stepping up to show they can do it too, and are wearing their title with pride at Cane Bay Elementary.  The school is News 2's Cool School of the Week.

Thirty-two men, nearly all with full time jobs, are a part of the D.A.D.'s Booster Club at Cane Bay. From mentoring students, helping teachers, watching students in the cafeteria, to moving furniture, and fundraising for playground equipment, no task is too small or too big for these dads. Ulysses Galvez is the club's president. Galvez says, "The D.A.D.'s Club is an organization founded when the school first opened up, to be a supporting arm of the PTA, but also so the dads in the schools can be a part of their child's life in the school.  It's also important to the child that they see us as dad's in the school, rather it be a role only a mother usually took."  Galvez says they want to show the importance of dads volunteering to help improve schools. The club's vice president Elliott Hutchinson says, "There is usually a dad here I would say 80-percent of the time. I would say there's at least one dad here doing something. We have dads that mentor other kids. We have dads that come in and help teachers out, make photo copy of papers while they're with their kids, really any little chore that needs to be done."

The group's main goal is to buy playground equipment for students. They recently purchased a playground jeep for kindergarten students. Galvez says, "We saw the playground equipment was lacking, and so we wanted to as dads, do something about that rather than talk about it or complain about it." They held fundraisers, garage and bake sales to raise money, but the major fundraiser for the group is Fitness Fest, a challenge where students run laps.

Principal Diane White says her dads help make her school cool.  White says, "I know they're making a difference. It is phenomenal to have dads in the schools.  Besides all the inspiring things they do for the students, they are also very helpful to us.  This school is a cool school  because of the people in it. The kids are the best, and the greatest, and so are the parents."

Members of the D.A.D.'s group say they're hoping dads at other schools will come aboard, and start dad clubs at other schools.  Galvez says, "Hopefully it will catch on like a wildfire, and spread throughout our country and through out our state, to get dads more involved. If a father is involved physically in the schools, and the child sees the father is involved, I know in my heart it could only make a positive influence on that child's life."

The D.A.D.'s Club partners with area businesses, and on December 4th, they will team up with Game Stop and Pizza Hut for a major fundraiser at the school. That event will be held from noon to 4pm.

For the second year in a row, the Berkley County School District recognized members of the D.A.D.'s Club for their volunteer efforts. The group will receive the Volunteer of the Year Award from the State Department of Education, November 17th.

We want to hear about the good things that are going on at your school, send an email to omitchell@wcbd.com and tell us all about it. Maybe your school will be the next cool school of the week.