On Saturday, May 22, The Milwaukee Brewers, Brewers Community Foundation, Frontier Airlines, Mayor Tom Barrett’s ‘Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative’, and others will come together to reinforce the importance of parenting, and reward individuals who have committed to strengthening their own family ties.

On that day, a group of approximately 50 fathers and their children will board a chartered morning flight, donated by Frontier Airlines, to Minneapolis. Scheduled to join the group for the trip are Republic Airways President and Chief Executive Officer Bryan Bedford, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, M&I Bank Senior Vice President of Marketing Brent Kelly, a representative from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and several executives from the Milwaukee Brewers and Brewers Community Foundation. Many of these community and business leaders will be traveling with their own children.

The group of 50 fathers and children have been selected from the Alma Center, City of Milwaukee Housing Authority, and Milwaukee Fatherhood Collaborative. The individuals were nominated because they have demonstrated a significant heightening of their commitment to fatherhood since becoming involved with Mayor Barrett’s Fatherhood Initiative.

Upon arrival in Minneapolis, the entire group will travel to a downtown hotel for a breakfast hosted by Brewers players LaTroy Hawkins and Rickie Weeks. The fathers and children will hear presentations related to the importance of strong parenting, financial responsibility, and the importance of higher education. M&I Bank and the Brewers Community Foundation will present each child with a $1,000 Savings Bond for higher education.

Following the presentations, the group will travel to Target Field to watch the Brewers take on the Minnesota Twins, and then return to Milwaukee after the game.

“We applaud Mayor Barrett for his commitment to building stronger families in Milwaukee, and we’re proud to recognize the achievements that these men have already made in a relatively short period of time,” said Brewers Chairman and Owner Mark Attanasio, who serves as an Honorary Co-Chair for the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative. “We also want to thank Frontier Airlines, M&I Bank, the M&I Bank Foundation, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the many others who are making this event a reality through their generous contributions of time and resources.”

The Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative (MFI) evolved from a two-day training session held in October 2005. The session was conducted by staff from the Maryland-based National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) at the request of Mayor Tom Barrett. More than 25 community leaders participated in this initial training session. Out of this planning session, a subcommittee emerged with the charge of convening a major, city-wide summit in the fall of 2006. The Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative Conference was held on October 13 and 14, 2006, with more than 1,200 men attending.

“When my office teamed up with the National Fatherhood Initiative, my goal was to improve the well being of all children in Milwaukee by increasing the number of children growing up with involved, responsible and committed fathers in their lives, and we’ve made great progress since 2005,” Mayor Barrett said. “I’m grateful to the Milwaukee Brewers, Frontier Airlines and M& I Bank for joining me in this worthwhile effort, not only by hosting this once-in-a-lifetime trip, but also by their year-round support. I salute their community-minded spirit and their commitment to the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative.

“As the parent company of Milwaukee’s Frontier Airlines, we are pleased to provide an aircraft to support the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative and its tireless efforts to strengthen families in our community,” Bedford said. “Programs like this reinforce our belief that Milwaukee is a great place to live and raise a family, and a great place to do business.”

Bedford added that Frontier Airlines is committed to continuing the long-time charitable involvement that Midwest Airlines has had in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Earlier this month, Frontier and Midwest began to operate under the Frontier brand. With the addition of 15 new markets this spring and summer, the combined airline now serves more than 70 cities across the Americas.

M&I Bank and the M&I Foundation have been involved with and supported the Fatherhood Initiative since 2006.

“We are pleased to be able to bring the message of financial responsibility and the importance of higher education to these children,” said Brent Kelly of M&I Bank.

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Popular Interests In This Article: Brewers Community Foundation, Frontier Airlines, Mark Attanasio, Marshall and Isley Bank, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative, Tom Barrett