 Mr. Leonard Mayo (Custodial a Dad) and his daughter
are working on the same team growing together without the benefit
of a maternal mother in the house."It's hard for my Dad some times to accept that his really doesn't have to be the Boss all the time, but he is getting it a little at a time." |
"When we lost the mother of my daughter in a car accident at the time my daughter was twelve years old. I had to fight to get custody of my daughter. I had to get Children's Services and the police involved in getting physical custody and with the support of Fathers and Sons of Northeast Ohio and the Fatherhood Advocate Resource Center I also gained legal custody. I found out that even thought it had established that I was the biological. father through the courts; I still had no custody rights. I had my daughter outside of marriage in Ohio that might that her mother had sole custody. This meant I had to step up to the plate and become the father I had never been.
There were many challenges facing me as I became a single Dad and sole provider. I had to deal with a little girl who just lost her mother and I had to leave a city she's been in all her life and go live with a man who she hardly knew. It's been six years now since her mother died and my life has totally changed. I am a college graduate and maintain full time employment at a local treatment facility as a recovery coach. My daughter has grown into a beautiful young lady at the age of seventeen. We have a great father and daughter relationship and she has forgiven me for the past. Things are not perfect, but I wouldn't change my life for anything. When I decided to change my life around this program was there for me. Now I can be there for some one else."
- Leonard Mayo
 Mark Styka and his two girls, Kylie and
Kayla."It was a long journey filled with disappointments, heartbreaks, but with Gods help I can handle any thing that life has to throw at me." |
"I strongly believe God puts people in my life to help me on my journey when I need it most and least expect it. I know this to be true of Fathers and Sons. Without their help, I wouldn't have my children back in my life. They have done so much for me that words wouldn't even begin to describe how very grateful am for them being a part of my life.
Part of that process in getting visitation of my children involved attending the "Stop the Drama" workshop, were I learned how to complete court documents and submit them so that I could attend mediation with my child's mother.
It's been 18 months now and I have worked though the process so that I how have unsupervised visitation with my children, Kylie and Kayla. It is amazing, simple things like giving them a bath turn out to be very memorable moments. Things that I, as a father, will cheer for the rest of my life."
- Mark Styka