OUR FOURTH
FATHERS MATTER FORUM
6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26 at the Northern Indiana Event Center in Elkhart, IN.
JOIN US.
DJ Construction has a heart for the kids of our community and wants to help individuals and churches find spots where they can plug in and help our young people connect.
Presenting, the fourth Fathers Matter Forum at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26 at the Northern Indiana Event Center
The public is invited for dessert and a presentation by Bill Courtney, founder and CEO of Classic American Hardwoods.
His appearance is co-sponsored by DJ Construction and the Community Foundation of Elkhart County.
You can register for this free event by filling out the form below.
About the speaker:
William Courtney (Bill) from Memphis, TN has been married to his wife Lisa for 32 years and is the father of four children, Maggie (27), Molly (26), Will (25), and Max (24).
Bill is the founder and CEO of Classic American Hardwoods, Inc. a hardwood lumber manufacturing company with a 50-acre facility in Memphis, Tennessee; four sales offices in the US; one in Shanghai, China; and one in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. His 2001 startup company now boasts 125 employees and over $80 Million in annual sales. His company has received numerous accolades including Business of the Year awards and the United States EXIM banks’ US Exporter of the Year award.
In 1991, Bill graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in Psychology. While at Ole Miss, he served as the Lieutenant Commander of Sigma Nu and was active in Psi Chi and Sigma Tau Delta. He was a featured columnist for the Daily Mississippian and the recipient of the first annual Chi Omega service award for Outstanding Community Involvement. Additionally, he was one of the founders of the Sigma Nu Charity Bowl which has now grown to be the largest Greek philanthropy project in the US.
Bill was the subject of the Academy Award winning film, Undefeated, a globally heralded documentary about his work as the volunteer football coach at Memphis’ Manassas High School. He is the author of Against the Grain, a nationally best-selling manifesto covering leadership, character, commitment, and other life defining tenets. He has appeared on numerous outlets such as Fox News, CNN, News Max, ESPN, as well as countless TV and radio shows discussing civility and leadership in today’s trying times.
Bill is currently an executive producer on two films in production, is working on his second book, has been the voice of EA Sports’ Madden Football game, serves on the Boards of Directors for numerous organizations and businesses, and continues to run the day-to-day operations at Classic American Hardwoods, Inc.
Bill is a sought after, nationally recognized speaker keynoting at venues across the country such as Nike, Fed Ex, Frito Lay, Firestone, St Jude, The US Olympics, and other highly recognized organizations.
Most recently, Bill has joined with Iron Light Labs to produce his podcast, “An Army of Normal Folks”. Launched on I Heart Radio in 2023, it has ranked as high as the #10 podcast in the US on Apple as it highlights amazing stories and accomplishments of average daily Americans working to better their communities.
HOMES ARE LIKE BUILDINGS…
…sometimes they need TLC and an extra set of hands to fill gaps. Building a healthy family takes time, practice and faith. Churches and individuals in our community can fill gaps that sometimes happen, but the kids in our community’s homes, in particular, need our love, time, and mentorship. Parents provide that, but often it takes more. Here are the numbers:
- More than 8,200 households of Elkhart County’s nearly 72,000 households have single parents (U.S. Census Bureau). That’s higher than the national average.
- More than a third of Elkhart County’s children (34 percent) are growing up in single-parent homes. (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/S1101SPHOUSE018039)
- More than 44 percent of births in Elkhart County are to unmarried parents. (Indiana KIDS COUNT Data book) The U.S. Census Bureau says almost 12 percent of households in Elkhart County are single-parent families.
Single mothers and single fathers face greater barriers to economic and family stability. Children living with a single mother are more likely to be in poverty than those in other households.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
It doesn’t take much! Officials say sometimes, it only takes one minute or one person to make a change that’ll last a lifetime.
“At DJ Construction, we have made it our long-term goal to make a significant impact on the fatherless epidemic in the communities that we work in. We have taken steps toward that goal and believe that the most effective way to impact is by developing relationships with fathers or with others who don’t have a father. We have great organizations in our community who are on the front lines of this issue and they could use our help!”
GET INSPIRED TO MENTOR
In 2017, John Sowers, author of “Fatherless Generation” came to Elkhart and Mishawaka to
speak to youth workers and others who gathered. His sessions helped inspire mentors to step forward.
To learn more about that day and the inspiration Sowers instilled in many prospective mentors, watch the report on WSBT at https://wsbt.com/news/local/groups-hope-mentors-can-step-in-for-fatherless-generation-in-elkhart-county.
You can also read about it at:
- https://www.goshennews.com/news/local_news/elkhart-county-needs-mentors-to-combat-fatherless-epidemic/article_911550a9-476f-5e56-948d-e86303d09b83.html
- https://www.inspiringgood.org/fatherlessepidemic/
To register for our fourth Fathers Matter Forum at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26 at the Northern Indiana Event Center, fill out the form below!
FATHERS MATTER FORUM REGISTRATION.
Table Captains wanted! Free tables of 8 will be available to church small groups, not-for-profit youth agencies and individuals.