16 Jun 2013 CBS Pittsburgh: Father’s Day Brings Mixed Feelings For One Dad

Jessica Berardino of CBS Pittsburgh has a great Father’s Day story, “Father’s Day Brings Mixed Feelings For One Dad,” featuring Project 21’s Darryn “Dutch” Martin:

PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio1020 KDKA) – As Father’s Day approaches, many families are looking for a way to show their dad that they’re thankful for having him in their lives.

Many dads would enjoy just relaxing and spending time with their children. But what about the kids that don’t have a dad to celebrate Father’s Day with?

Darryn “Dutch” Martin is a father to 2-year-old son, Luther, and this is the second year he has felt like a part of the holiday. Martin grew up in a welfare household where he was the youngest of six children. After his father left, a void grew in his soul that became emotionally crippling to his development.

Martin began to question who would teach him to drive, or tie a necktie, balance a check book, and most importantly, how to be a man. He learned many of life’s lessons the hard way. The pain of losing his father never went away.

In June 2013, the National Center for Public Policy Research published a paper, “A New Visions Commentary” that included Martin’s piece entitled, “Mixed Feelings on Father’s Day.”

Since he was a child, he always wondered about the importance of fathers and assessed his own family situation to determine how a father’s influence affects a child’s development…

Read the rest, or better yet, read the rest and listen to embedded excerpts of an interview with Dutch by KDKA 1020-AM’s storied interviewer Mike Pintek, by going here.