Stories, advice, and support: Fatherhood Development Group program returns in Norfolk

Posted: Jan 4, 2021 / 04:12 PM EST / Updated: Jan 4, 2021 / 04:12 PM EST

Randy LaPlante, left, the son of veteran Chester LaPlante who died of the COVID-19 virus, stands with wife Nicole as his son, Blake, swings in the backyard in Amsterdam, N.Y., Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Randy LaPlante remembered his father giving him “bear rides” around the living room, rubbing his beard against his little face and buying him a go-kart. Later, the elder LaPlante took his son under his wing and taught him about being a machinist, a career he holds to this day. “I don’t know where I would be without him,” LaPlante says. In communities around the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in Massachusetts, families are marking the first Memorial Day without a veteran who was a parent, spouse or sibling. More than 70 have died of the virus at the home in one of the worst outbreaks in the country and the subject of state and federal investigations. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Norfolk’s Fatherhood Development Group is returning this month for another session of stories and advices about fatherhood.

The Fatherhood Development Group brings fathers of all ages together to share their stories and to support one another while gaining new insight into the challenges of responsible parenting.

The program, which is free and open to all fathers, was launched back in 20012 aimed at improving the quality of the relationships between fathers and their children.

Participants meet weekly for eight weeks and may be referred on a volunteer basis or by mandate. Participation is open to residents of Norfolk and Hampton Roads.

The 8-week virtual class runs from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. each Thursday from January 14 to March 4, 2021.

To participate, register online or contact Xaviera.evans@norfolk.gov for an enrollment form.