Good question!
I grew up pretty much without a father. I have a father, but he was never around when I was a kid. My mom divorced him when I was 2 because he had let his drinking overtake all other aspects of his life.
All my life, the parts I remember, since about 3 years-old, my father has preferred alcohol to anyone else in his life, including me.
No matter what your mother does for you, a boy needs a father. I didn't have one.So nowadays, I make sure that I am a "father" to kids who don't have one as well. I do a lot of volunteering with, and fundraising for, children's charities right here in Chicago. The Mercy Home is one of them.
I go to Mercy every Saturday from January through May to play in the "Hoops to Homework" "NBA" league with the kids. This year, we're the Detroit Pistons. I co-captain my team with a friend.
The kids at Mercy are essentially orphans. Most have parents somewhere, but their parents are unfit or unable, and no one else in their family can help care for the kids either.
Something else I do is I volunteer with Horizons for Youth. This is an organization that helps expose middle school and high school kids to experiences they might not otherwise have in their lives.
That's the part I help out with. Every year we take the kids ice skating downtown. We do other stuff too. One thing a month, all year round.
The other thing Horizons does is provide 90% scholarships for the kids to private high schools. The parents have to pay the other 10%, and both the kids and the parents have to volunteer at/with Horizons, etcetera, and so on.
Point is, it isn't a hand-out, it's earned. It's earned by the parents and by the kids.
A lot of the kids in Horizons don't have dads at home either. And that's where I come in again.
These aren't the only kids' charities I work with, but it gives you an idea of what I'm all about. If you want info on how to help out financially or with your time, please fax me at the office.
Scott Tucker
www.mortgagemarketinggenius.com
Fax: 773-327-2842