April 15, 2019
While the University of Virginia was busy celebrating its first-ever victory in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament a week ago, dads in Baltimore made some history of their own in the first-ever "March Dadness" event!
Focused on ways to encourage fathers and father figures to come together with their families as well as one another, the Y’s Early Childhood Health and Wellness Specialist Jordan Brown and Head Start Enrollment Manager Jodi Duffie reached out to our friends at Living Classrooms to invent and host March Dadness. Held on March 31st, March Dadness brought together 30 dads from Y Head Start and Living Classrooms programs along with about 120 family members for a day of friendly competition and family fun at the Under Armour Living Classrooms complex in East Baltimore, next door to the Y Head Start site at East Fayette Street.
The event lived up to all expectations with fathers bonding over a game of basketball and family members cheering them on and enjoying an incredible day. Along with the mini March Madness basketball tournament (not that we're competitive, but we do have to share that Y Head Start dads won), family fun activities ranged from physical movement challenges on the beautiful UA Living Classroom's field to face painting, dance competitions, a mom free-throw shootout, lunch for all and, everybody's favorite, an ice cream truck at the end of the event!
A huge thank you goes out to Living Classrooms and our generous sponsor Giant Food’s Our Family Foundation whose partnership helped enable this wonderful day. Thanks also to acting Mayor Jack Young and James Green, with the Male Engagement Project from the Mayor’s Office, for attending and cheering us on! Finally, a huge thank you and shout out to the dynamic duo of Jordan Brown and Jodi Duffie for their imaginative, energetic approach to their Y work. They are shining examples of what happens when passionate, committed and creative experts think outside the box to achieve objectives and do it in ways that are thoughtful, intentional and just plain fun!
Well done all!
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland