Wednesday was a special one for students and their dads at Bruce Elementary School as they got to spend the morning together over donuts. Donuts with Dad was held by Macon Violence Prevention (MVP), Macon Mental Health Matters (MMHM), and Book ‘Em in an effort to work directly with families through a school.

“Working with Bruce Elementary, we can focus our impact on a specific neighborhood and help build stronger relationships between fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and the students,” said MVP Coordinator Jeremy Grissom.

About 40 dads signed up to have donuts and conversation with more 60 children. The children had their breakfast, then went into the gym to do activities while their dads were able to engage in conversation with MVP and MMHM representatives.

“Burnout is real, especially among dads, and that’s not something we as a society talk about enough,” said Grissom. “We are the guides. We have to slow stuff down for them. You set the tone for the house.”

The conversation allowed some dads to listen and ask questions. Once they finished, the students came back into the cafeteria to show and tell their dads what they worked on.

“We want to give dads their flowers and encourage them to participate in new activities with their children,” said Grissom.

This event followed the previously successful Ice Cream with Dads and Bike with Dads; those two events brought together nearly 150 people to create stronger relationships with each other.