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WASHINGTON, June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- President Obama's Fatherhood Initiative is launching Fatherhood Buzz , an eight-city pilot outreach project designed to disseminate information about responsible fatherhood and parenting in select barbershops on Saturday, June 16, 2012.  Barbershops, which serve as unofficial outlets for peer education in many communities, were specifically chosen as the trusted hub to share information about fatherhood and the essential role that fathers play in society. Events will include national and local resources for fathers, including handouts on economic stability and parenting tips, networking, and positive conversations.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one in three children (more than 24 million) in America live apart from their biological fathers. However, the National Center for Education Statistics reports that even when fathers do not share a home with their children, their active involvement can have a lasting and positive impact. Fatherhood Buzz works with barbershops—trusted community resources for men and boys—to provide positive, healthy resources directly to fathers to further establish and strengthen relationships with their children.

"We have a wealth of proven, relevant resources for fathers and those organizations and agencies that serve them," says Kenneth Braswell, Director, and National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC). "This pilot program brings this information directly to people who can use it to reduce or eliminate potential barriers to accessing these tools."

NRFC seeks to build the capacity of fathers to be financially and emotionally involved in the lives of their children and families by being loving, compassionate, and involved parents.

President Obama's Fatherhood Initiative is a multi-year effort to help fathers connect with their families coordinated by the Office of Public Engagement and the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships within the White House.  Through this initiative, President Obama has joined with fathers around the country to send a strong message about personal responsibility while supporting dads who want to be there for their kids. 

Please see below for a list of local barbershops and community organizations in Albany, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC participating in Fatherhood Buzz which is part of President Obama's Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative.

The Administration's Fatherhood Buzz is a pilot program of The National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC)--an established, national and international resource for fathers, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers. A service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) Office of Family Assistance, NRFC develops, collects and disseminates information about policies, priorities, trends, research findings, and promising fatherhood practices.  The NRFC disseminates that knowledge to practitioners and the fatherhood field to support well-being and economic self-sufficiency outcomes for fathers, children, families, and communities. For more information, call 1(877) 4DAD-411 or visit www.fatherhood.gov.

SOURCE National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse