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Harold Daniels was 20 when he had his first child. He is now a father of
four; two boys and two girls.
Before Brothers United, he described his life as tumultuous. He
was in and out of jail, and even though he tried to steer
clear of trouble, he always found himself in it. Having kids
changed his outlook on the world.
His relationship with his first child’s mother wasn’t good. She was a
heroin addict, which led to many problems in their lives.
“It was rocky because of the lifestyle she chose. She was the cause
of a lot of my legal issues. Said I cut my son and
pistol-whipped her. CSB got involved and the truth came out,
but I had already did the time.”
Daniels found out about Brothers United while he was in the VOA when
some of the staff came and handed out flyers.
“It was something
that I saw as positive and it was geared towards the male
perspective. I talked to BU staff and they told me what the
program was really all about, and I wanted to be a part of
it.”
Brothers United helped Mr. Daniels gain focus over his life. He
expressed that he learned how not to let his co-parent get
to him, which changed how he reacted to situations. He and
his co-parent now communicate well and keep their son the
center of attention.
“BU gave me a
different outlook and pointed me in the right direction,
especially as far as rekindling with my son. My son lets me
know that he thinks about me as much as I think about him.
We do everything. We never depart without saying that we
love each other. It’s a wonderful situation.”
After BU, Daniels got a job, his license, a car and became a homeowner.
He’s since had no legal issues with his co-parent and his
life has taken an overall positive form. He expressed his
gratitude for still being able to reach out to BU staff who
have continued to extend themselves even after he graduated
the program.
“BU basically tried
to instill in us that anyone can have a child but being a
role model is something men don’t think about. They taught
me the importance of staying connected with my son
regardless of my relationship with my co-parent. That
took me from being a baby daddy to being a father.”
If
you are interested in joining The Brothers United Program or
have someone you want to refer : Call us at (4199) 279-6297
or
www.pathwaytoledo.org
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