WARSAW — For nearly 40 years, Heartline Pregnancy Center has offered crisis pregnancy services to Warsaw and the surrounding community.

From free pregnancy confirmation to emergency assistance with diapers and formula, Heartline works to provide early support and education for women facing unexpected pregnancy so they can have healthy pregnancies and deliveries. But after an evaluation of its services, Heartline staff realized they lacked programs for men. To meet this need, Heartline has decided to implement the 24/7 Dad program, and is being assisted in this launch through a grant from K21 Health Foundation.

“Sometimes when a young expectant woman comes to our office, they are accompanied by their baby’s father,” said Alyx Bates, Heartline Program Director. “We realized we have an opportunity to make a difference in his life as a father and in the lives of his children. 24/7 Dad is a mentoring program that uses volunteer mentors from the community to teach young men how to be good fathers and how important they are in their children’s lives.”

“We know that having a father present in a child’s life is important, and research indicates that the 24/7 Dad program leads to significant increases in four of five protective factors in fathers that have been shown to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect,” said K21 President and CEO Rich Haddad. “K21’s grant of $36,186 will help Heartline to launch the program and begin offering this important mentorship opportunity to young men in our community.”