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2001 Winners
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Mike Cameron and Marta Nimlos, 2001 12th grade first place winner and daughter
to Father of the Year, Dr. John Nimlos. |
June 10, 2001
Words Spoken by Craig Brooke-Weiss at Safeco Field
Fathers inspire children to be the best of what they already are. Children
inspire men to tap into their deepest and greatest potential.
These two statements are true. Yet somehow, good and loving fathers are too
often the invisible and unnoticed parent. It’s often hit or miss whether a man
will have the tools or the inspiration to be the father he aspires to be.
Sometimes fathers disconnected from their families don’t know how much their
children need them - or looking through their pain - how much they need their
children.
This essay contest is a useful tool helping kids to talk, fathers and mothers
to listen and our culture to begin to see how essential fathers are. It is also
a catalyst promoting children’s thinking; for boys, thinking about the
qualities they admire about fatherhood: for what we admire we often emulate.
For girls, thinking about how much it means to have respect and admiration from
the most important man in their life, father. This in turn helps them to know
what to expect and require from a man when it becomes time to form a life
partnership.
For the 2001 Seattle Mariners Father of the Year Essay Contest, FatherLove
collected almost 2,500 essays; 2,500 testimonials to the profound necessity, of
love, need and desire children have for the most important man in their life: a
man who calls himself father. The words these children wrote -- words sometimes
never spoken or heard before, create the potential to both let a father know
he’s doing right - or that he’s not. And if he’s not, to let it be known that
his absence hurts.
Every single child that participated in this contest is a winner. Those who won
prizes are the ones that said best what the other 2500 children said in many
different ways. Father’s love, undivided attention and time means so very much
to each and every child. Every child who has an involved father is a lucky
child, now and for the rest of their lives. A father’s influence, positive or
negative, cuts deep or satisfies deeply
In the next few minutes we’ll soon hear from the First Place winners of the
Contest. We’re about to hear how much every child needs a father to listen,
love and most importantly prioritize their time with their kids. Time with Dad,
even the most mundane time is memory making time. Without a doubt nothing can
or will turn a boy into a man, and turn a man around into a responsible citizen
than knowing he makes a difference to the boy or girl he fathered
These are the essays…
2001 Winners
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