An Idea Became a Vision…

John Pyle, founder of Dads for Boys, spent most of his life chasing money in the fast lane, having little time for family relationships. His marriages ended in divorce. A picture of success on the outside, he felt empty inside. In 1985, he took an airplane flight that changed his life. He sat next to Harold Bredesen who saw through the pretence and challenged John to deal with his relationship with God and his life in general.

As John got his schedule under control, he began spending quality time with his children. On weekends with his youngest son, he realized that most of Jay’s friends were from single-mom homes, craving for positive male attention and direction. A vision began stirring within him of recruiting men to become positive male role models in the lives of these boys. Men who would take the boys camping, boating and fishing. They would provide leadership, spritual guidance and friendship.

In 1989, Dads for Boys purchased 240 acres of wilderness preserve with a mile of lakefront on the North shore of Lake Yale in Umatilla, Florida, NW of Orlando. This is a perfect wildlife atmosphere for hiking, fishing, boating, camping and other activities.

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Below you will find just some of the reasons why we do what we do: providing kids with strong male role models
Did you know that…..

    · 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.

    · 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless
    home (Center for Disease Control)

    · 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. (National
    Principals Association Report)

    · 75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless
    homes – 10 times the average

    · In a study of 700 adolescents, researchers found that “compared to families with two natural parents living in the home, adolescents from single-parent families have been found to engage in greater and earlier sexual activity.” Source: Carol W. Metzler, et al. “The Social Context for Risky Sexual Behavior Among Adolescents,” Journal
    of Behavioral Medicine 17 (1994)

    · 63% of teen suicides come from fatherless homes. That’s 5 times the national
    average. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center
    for Health Statistics, Survey on Child Health, Washington, DC, 1993.