Program Highlights (Selected photos of these events are posted on the Daddy's Spirit Events page.)
December 9, 2007 Philadelphia Flyers hockey practice and behind-the-scenes tour of practice facility, with player meet and greet. (Courtesy of Jeremy Bland, Shauna Adams, Donna Katzman and the Philadelphia Flyers. Special thanks to Flyers’ RW Mike Knuble.)
October 13, 2007 Rotorfest at the American Helicopter Museum, courtesy of Robert Beggs, Jaclyn Levengood, Boeing and the American Helicopter Museum, with lunch provided by Rob Moffitt and Da Bar and Grill.
June 17, 2007 Father's Day at Citizens Bank Park, courtesy of Bill Giles, Joe Giles, Gene Dias, and the Philadephia Phillies.
April 28, 2007 Tour of Wharton Esherick Museum (courtesy of Rob Leonard and the Wharton Esherick Museum)
March 25, 2007 Philadelphia Phantoms hockey game (courtesy of Karie Bland and the Philadelphia Phantoms)
January 20, 2007 bowling outing, Phoenix Lanes, Phoenixville, PA .
♦♦♦
Other News
Daddy’s Spirit Founder and Volunteer Executive Director, Ron Opher, Presents at Chester County Religious Council Meeting.
April 18, 2007, Birmingham, PA: Ron Opher, the Founder and volunteer Executive Director of a locally-based organization, Daddy’s Spirit Moves Me Forward, presented information and conducted a discussion on the topic of assisting children in need.
The focus of the Daddy’s Spirit organization is in providing recreational and educational opportunities to children whose fathers have died. This inaugural program year, the participation is limited to children 8-12 years old who reside in the Greater Philadelphia area.
In the next program year, Daddy’s Spirit anticipates expanding of the program to older children and children who reside outside the local area, by way of moderated “talk shows” with a professional counselor and a guest fielding questions from the audience of children, taking place over a secure portion of the Daddy’s Spirit website.
Questions were presented by the audience of religious leaders, most notably in the area of discussing other issues which lead to children’s grief, such as in situations where a parent is absent for reasons other than their death. While it was universally recognized that children are in need of assistance to deal with a variety of losses, and that those needs are both valid and require resources, it was acknowledged that such needs require tremendous financial resources, which outstrip the resources and are beyond the mission of the Daddy’s Spirit organization.
Perhaps other non-profits and governmental entities will be able to assist in those areas, and, in turn, will be able to network with Daddy’s Spirit’s leaders.
In the Media
The December 18, 2007 issue of Daily Local News of West Chester PA included an article about Daddy's Spirit and Mommy's Light called "Carrying on Traditions - For kids who've lost parents, holidays can be especially tough. There is help."
The June 2007 issue of Working Mother magazine reported on the Daddy’s Spirit organization.
The June 2007 issue of Main Line Today magazine reported on the Daddy’s Spirit organization in its “Doing Good” column.
Other publications: Trend-Leader Newspaper (December 20, 2006)
Newly linked
CAP4Kids (The Children's Advocacy Project of Philadelphia) - Parenting Resources
The Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families
♦♦♦
MANY THANKS to Meredith Corporation for their generous donation to Daddy’s Spirit and for choosing Daddy’s Spirit’s Founder and Executive Director Ron Opher as the featured subject of the “Power of Parents” segment in the November issue of Parents magazine (page 24).
♦♦♦
Ron also attended the one-day conference “Critical Issues in Children’s Grief – A Day with Donna Schuurman,” presented by The Center for Grieving Children, Teens and Families in Philadelphia on November 4, 2006.
Donna Schuurman, EDD, CT, a Bucks County, PA native, is the National Director of the Dougy Center and is an internationally-renowned expert on children’s grief.
The program focused on the subjects of: Critical Issues for Grief Professionals; Early Parent Loss and its Impact Throughout Life; and Suicide Deaths and School/Community Response and was attended by a significant cross-section of professionals in the field of children’s grief.
Many thanks to Donna and to Rob Sheesley, M.Div., CT, Director of The Center for Grieving Children, Teens and Families for making this program possible.
♦♦♦
Feature Story "Grief For a Lost Father is Lifelong" - Philadelphia Inquirer, Chester County Neighbors, July 23, 2006 (written by Susan Weidener)
Ron Opher, with his father Mordecai, in the photographs referenced in the feature story (see link above)
♦♦♦
PRESS RELEASE REGARDING THE INAUGURAL GROUP OF CHILDREN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE “DADDY’S SPIRIT MOVES ME FORWARD” PROGRAM - June 6, 2006
♦♦♦
"Helping Teens Cope Without Dad" - Washington Times, February 21, 2006
♦♦♦
PRESS RELEASE REGARDING THE FORMATION OF “DADDY’S SPIRIT MOVES ME FORWARD” - February 15, 2006
Post Office Box 80022, Valley Forge, PA 19484
(610) 710-1477
Contact: Ron Opher, Executive Director
info@DaddysSpirit.org
This website is a service of Daddy’s Spirit Moves Me Forward (sm), a Pennsylvania Non-Profit Corporation established for charitable purposes. The service is intended as a resource for presentation and discussion of issues of concern to those experiencing grief, particularly from the loss of a father. Nothing included in this section, or in the accompanying literature presented herein shall be deemed to constitute, in and of itself, professional advice. You are encouraged to contact a professional in your geographic area for such advice.
The content of this site is the intellectual property of Daddy’s Spirit Moves Me Forward (sm), except where otherwise noted and except in the “links” which are found on this website and which may lead to the discovery of intellectual property of others. No reproduction of any kind is permitted without the written consent of an authorized representative of Daddy’s Spirit Moves Me Forward (sm). Linking to this site is welcome, as long as it is done in the context of providing information regarding positive experiences in the process of coping with grief.
The “father’s hand passing baton to child’s hand” logo and the terms “Daddy’s Spirit” and “Daddy’s Spirit Moves Me Forward” are the intellectual property of the entity named Daddy’s Spirit Moves Me Forward, and are deemed to carry the (sm) designation (for a service mark) throughout this website, even where such designation may be omitted. Registration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is pending.
© 2006 by Daddy’s Spirit Moves Me Forward.
Website design by Koury Design.