Fatherhood Partnership Focuses on Dads Age 18-26;
Tips Off on March 21 with Basketball Challenge
MILWAUKEE (March 11, 2020) – Retired Milwaukee Bucks star and NBA Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief will launch a fatherhood mentorship program this month to help young fathers and their families in the greater Milwaukee area. Moncrief’s Game Changer organization is partnering with local groups to pilot the ‘Building the Best Me’ (BTBM) program. BTBM will provide fathers age 18 to 26 with guidance on financial literacy, career readiness, parental engagement, entrepreneurship development and emotional intelligence.
“Moncrief Game Changer is building on the success of Milwaukee’s existing fatherhood initiatives and partnerships,” said Moncrief, a five-time NBA All-Star who has coached at the college and pro level and became a successful business executive off the basketball court. “Building the Best Me will further motivate young fathers to provide a high quality of life for their children by enhancing their personal and professional growth. Our mission is to inspire growth in fathers through engagement, accountability, and mentorship.”
Beginning in late March and running through September, the program will focus on the five components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Participants can earn a stipend by reaching meeting, career development, and parental engagement benchmarks.
Moncrief will kick off the pilot with a Father-Daughter-Son Basketball Challenge on Saturday, March 21 at the Running Rebels facility at 225 W. Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. There will cash prizes for first, second and third place winners. Young men interested in participating should visit www.thebestmefh.com.
Local organizations sponsoring ‘Building the Best Me’ include Milwaukee area Wendy’s restaurants, Moncrief One Team, Milwaukee Bucks, Employ Milwaukee, D & S Healing Center, and the Running Rebels. Additional sponsors are being sought.
Moncrief played 10 NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he flourished as a five-time NBA All Star and was the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The Arkansas native led the University of Arkansas to the NCAA Final Four before turning pro. Since retiring as a player, he has coached at the NCAA Division I level (University of Arkansas-Little Rock) and in the pros as an assistant coach (Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks). He is a member of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, Arkansas Walk of Fame, National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, National High School Hall of Fame, Southwest Conference Hall of Fame and Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
MONCRIEF GAME CHANGER
Sidney Moncrief and his wife, Takisha, created Moncrief Game Changer, Inc. to provide leadership, entrepreneurship, career readiness, and diversity and inclusion professional development to youth and adults. Moncrief is a coach, author, and inspirational speaker. For more information on Moncrief Game Changer, visit https://sidneymoncrief.org.