I served as a board member with DMAD for 6 years and the organization opened my eyes to issues relating to "younger" parenting issues that I wasn't even aware of. The work of DMAD should be on a national level, and hopefully one day will be. The staff and volunteers do an excellent job teaching parenting issues to youth in an approachable and understanding manner. Personally, this experience changed my perceptions and presented me with values and education to pass onto my own children.

I've been a part of the Dads Made a Difference (DMAD) family now for 17 years. During those 17 years I have filled many roles within the organization including teen trainer, adult trainer, staff, and board member. I moved from Minnesota to Oregon in 2009, which meant I was no longer able to fulfill those roles. What has not changed throughout the long history of the organization is the positive, lifelong impact it makes in young people's lives. The positive youth development model empowers young people to take charge of their own decision making. They become informed on life issues that will impact them at some point in the near future, and then they turn around and share that information with younger peers. In other relationships with young people, other positions I've held, I continue to reference the knowledge gained from teaching and training with DMAD. This program is relevant, necessary and a true investment in young people. I cannot imagine not supporting Dads Make a Difference.

This is a vital and much needed service to our youth & future generations. I have observed and heard many stories of what an impact this program can make. There is a value in programs such as this that touch the whole community.

Dads Make A Difference (DMAD) is a fantastic program and one I'm proud to have been a part of. In my previous position at a community agency, one of my responsibilities was to oversee the implementation of DMAD in the Minnetonka school district. I recruited young people to attend the training to become educators, then observed the delivery of the Dad's curriculum in junior high school classes. Watching the teen educators develop their capabilities over the course of a year or more was pretty incredible. Everyone involved in DMAD, from the educators to the students receiving the curriculum to their teachers, found their experience both enjoyable and valuable!

I have the pleasure of serving on the board of DMAD and truly appreciate the contributions the organization makes to the community. The program and services offered do a great deal to education our young generation and promote healthy choices about relationships. I am honored to be a part of such a wonderful and positively productive organization.

Dads Make a Difference promotes the positive involvement of fathers and educates youth about healthy relationships and responsible parenting. These messages remain as important to young people today as they were when DMAD was started in 1993, some 21 years ago, helping to build the capacity of young people to develop strong future families that can contribute to strong, vibrant communities.

The learning from the training and the opportunity to present the curriculum to younger students were invaluable experiences in the lives of the teen fathers I have worked with over the years. The young men felt very respected, and they became empowered as they had a voice to address an issue that is dearly personal for them!

Dads Make a Difference training for my Future Educators has been a great compliment to our program at Como Park Senior High School. It contains valuable lessons for our student/trainers, and for the young people they will go out to teach it to.

There is nothing as important as helping young adults make good decisions in their teens so that they have more opportunities with their futures. The education DMAD provides helps young adults form healthy relationships and promotes delaying becoming parents too soon by providing information about the challenges of parenting. It is realistic in its approach and inclusive in its definition of family and comprehensive by providing more than just sex education but also teaching decision making skills.

Dads Make a Difference is an amazing program that works with the community to build better relationships between fathers and their children; educate youth on what it takes to be a responsible parent and the benefits of having an active father. This program builds better parents of the future and helps facilitate better relationships within the family unit.

A former board member for 6 years, I witnessed first hand the impact this program had on teens and the education that is so badly needed for youth. I continue to contribute as a donor as I firmly believe in the education it represents and hope this education will become a part of every teens education in the future. Wish this education was available to me as a youth!!

DMAD has research to prove that it creates long-term attitude and behavior chang among teens in preventing too early pregnancy and parenthood.

It has successfully trained about 8,000 students in its 21 years of existance and it has created an in demand cirriculum.

This agency really delivers results.

I have been a donor to Dad's Make a Difference because I believe in this great organization and the work it does. Everyone involved is passionate about their cause and it shows in the difference they make in the community. Young people's lives are touched in a way that empowers them to find their voice and make a difference in the lives of others.

I have been volunteering for Dads Make A Difference for about 6 years now, and LOVE the program. I myself was a high schooler who attended my DMAD training and absolutely loved going into my local middle schools and teaching the curriculum. So much so that I reached out to Jan about becoming an adult trainer once I began college. She graciously accepted my offer, and I have greatly enjoyed working with Jan and the other trainers ever since. Jan is kind, courteous, and has a deep passion for this cause that is near and dear to her heart. It is my belief that learning the responsibilities of parenting is a key element to a person's overall success and is important to learn at an early age. Not only do children obtain a deeper level of respect for what their parents do for them, but they also begin to develop values that they will carry with them throughout life and into parenting years of their own. The curriculum is diverse, fun, and most importantly; open to all ideas, opinions, and personal stories. I know I do not only speak for myself when I say that Dads Make A Difference is a learning experience that one carries in their heart for a lifetime.

I recently attended an anniversary celebration for Dads Make a Difference (DMAD) and the testimonials from past participants, trainers, health educators, Minnesota State Department of Human Services, community nonprofit leaders, sexuality education professionals, youth workers, teachers--a range of folks involved in the organization's long history--gave further evidence of the power of this youth development organization and its curriculum to positively enhance the healthy development of Minnesota youth. It is a peer education program that has effectively educated youth about healthy relationships, sexual decision making and the important role of fathers for many years. We need to ensure that it continues to evolve in ways that allow it to educate and influence future generations of Minnesota youth.

Dads Make a Difference meets a definite need and utilizes a proven curriculum model based on research for training and outreach. Past participants become some of the staff when training is done again. A great, proven model that makes a difference in the lives of young Dads and ultimately, their child/ren.

My daughter took the Dads Makes a Difference training back when she was in high school and she became a participant at Como High School to inform others! DMAD training provided insight for my daughter who had an absent father to give her some hope and understanding around the importance of dads. Being a board member was easy because I have seen the personal value of the vision and mission of this organization's impact on my family! Great work!

Dads Make A Difference - made a difference in my life. I participated in the Dada Make A Difference program in 1996 as a professional in the field. I was professionally impressed and personally touch by the curriculum so much I became a trainer for the program. After training over 800 participants during my tenure, I was blessed to see up close and personal the impact Dads Make A Difference has made in the lives of young women and especially young men. This program continuously makes strategic and intentional efforts to remain relevant. In addition, the capabilty to also be interculturally competent in its language and delivery of sensitive content is no small feat. Please join me in financially supporting Dads Make A Difference so it remains a timeless pillar in our community and beyond.

DMAD has been a part of my journey from teenhood to adulthood. I first met the founder of Dads, Jan Hayne, six years ago. I could immediately sense her passion as she told her story, and shared the mission of this amazing non-profit. The curriculum is timeless and yet fresh, traditional and yet innovative, and consistent year after year in core values, life lessons, and practical applications. It is a privilege to work with such amazing people who share Jan's mission of responsible parenting and the importance of relationship building. Students learn it, love it, and share it with their peers, family and friends, and in the digital world we live in, the positive energy Jan brings to her students is shared across the nation.

Dads Make a Difference is a program that changes lives. This curriculum not only helps young people make healthy decisions to plan for their futures but it also builds leadership skills and protective factors for young people who are struggling or facing challenges in their own lives. It creates a ripple effect that touches so many people and continues to impact young people in middle school, high school and beyond. It helps create a fuller picture of parenthood particularly for children born to young and/or single parents. It helps build community among trainers, peer educators, their students and staff that weaves a thread of hope and resilience for all young people.