The purpose of the petition is to emphasize the importance of fatherhood in the building of strong communities. The impact fathers make in the lives of their children cannot be emphasized enough! Statistics show that children raised in a father-absent home are:
1) Four Times More Likely to Live in Poverty
2) More Likely to Suffer Emotional and Behavioral Problems
3) Two Times Greater Risk of Infant Mortality
4) More Likely to go to Prison
5) More Likely to Commit Crime
6) Seven Times More Likely to Become Pregnant as a Teen
7) More Likely to Face Abuse and Neglect
8) More Likely to Abuse Drugs and Alcohol
9) Two Times More Likely to Suffer Obesity
10) Two Times More Likely to Drop Out of High School
Therefore, the Men's Empowering Resource Center, Inc. (
www.mercinc.org) and the people of North Carolina strongly urge you to stress the importance of fatherhood by declaring the month of June as Fatherhood Awareness Month!
