By JR Robinson
Co-Founder, JustMyMemphis and JustMy

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tomorrow’s AFIRM graduation is more than a ceremony. It is a public celebration of Memphis fathers who chose to invest in themselves, their children and their futures—and a reminder that when fathers receive practical support, entire families can become stronger.

Families Matter, Inc. will recognize the latest graduates of its AFIRM program, short for A Father’s Involvement Really Matters. The local initiative serves low-income fathers in Memphis and Shelby County who are 18 or older and are connected to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, known as TANF, or who have a recent child-support order.

At its core, AFIRM is built around a simple but important belief: most fathers want to be present, supportive and successful parents. But many men face barriers—limited job opportunities, unstable income, child-support challenges, strained family relationships and a lack of support systems—that can make that goal difficult to reach.

AFIRM meets fathers where they are and gives them tools to move forward.

A program built for real life

The challenges facing many fathers are interconnected. A father may want to pay child support but struggle to find work that pays enough. He may want to spend more time with his child but need help navigating parenting plans, court orders or communication with the child’s mother. He may be working through the pressure of financial hardship while also trying to become a more patient, engaged and emotionally available parent.

That is why AFIRM does not treat fatherhood as a one-dimensional issue.

The program combines parenting support, workforce development and help navigating child-support obligations. Its three goals are to strengthen father-child relationships, increase fathers’ long-term earning potential and improve their ability to make child-support payments consistently.

The approach recognizes an important truth: a father’s ability to show up for his children is often tied to whether he has the support, confidence, income and information to do so.

Building better fathers, not judging them

AFIRM’s fatherhood coaching and parenting support includes an eight-week workshop led by male parenting-education trainers who are fathers themselves. The workshops focus on skill-building and healthy parenting, helping participants deepen their connection with their children.

That peer-to-peer element matters. For many men, especially those who have felt isolated or discouraged, it can be powerful to learn in a space led by someone who understands both the responsibilities and the realities of fatherhood.

When possible, AFIRM also offers a Relationship Skills for Strong Families workshop for fathers and mothers to attend together. The program focuses on healthy co-parenting and helps parents develop a parenting agreement based on what they learn.

That kind of work can have a lasting impact. A child does not need parents to live in the same home to benefit from healthier communication, mutual respect and a shared commitment to their well-being.

Connecting fatherhood and economic opportunity

AFIRM also recognizes that family stability requires more than good intentions. Fathers need access to work, career pathways and opportunities that can grow with them.

The program begins by reviewing a participant’s work style, skills and aptitudes, then connects him to career-readiness training, job-placement support, internships and help keeping a job over time. AFIRM focuses on high-growth employment sectors in Shelby County that can lead to family-supporting wages.familiesmattermemphis

This is one of the most important parts of the work.

A father who can move into stable employment is better positioned to contribute financially, build confidence, plan for the future and be more consistently available to his family. Economic mobility can help turn a crisis-management lifestyle into one where a parent can make decisions with greater stability and hope.

AFIRM is led by Families Matter, a Memphis nonprofit, and works with partners including Maximus, CodeCrew, The Center for Urban Families, National Partnership for Community Leadership and The Carter Malone Group.

Making child support manageable

Child support should help children. But for fathers with low incomes, unemployment or unstable employment, the system can feel confusing and overwhelming—especially when orders are based on circumstances that no longer reflect what a parent can realistically pay.

AFIRM helps participants understand and navigate the child-support system. The program assists fathers with issues such as reviewing or adjusting orders, establishing payment plans, addressing bench warrants, seeking credit for prior support when possible and resolving certain non-state arrears. It also works to help fathers avoid default orders and establish child-support obligations that more closely reflect their incomes.

This is not about excusing responsibility. It is about creating a more realistic path for fathers to meet it.

When a father understands his obligations, has support to address barriers and gains access to better employment, he is more likely to maintain consistent financial support and consistent contact with his children.

Why Memphis needs AFIRM

Memphis conversations about youth development, public safety, education, workforce participation and neighborhood stability are often treated as separate issues. In reality, they are deeply connected.

Children benefit when they have adults who are emotionally present, financially supportive and actively engaged in their lives. Fathers benefit when they are given pathways to improve their parenting skills, address employment barriers and overcome challenges that can keep them disconnected from their children.

That is why programs like AFIRM matter beyond the individual participant.

They strengthen families one father at a time. They support children by helping fathers become more active in their lives. They support mothers by encouraging healthier co-parenting. And they support the broader Memphis community by connecting men to work, responsibility, confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.

Families Matter recently celebrated the 34th graduating class of the AFIRM Fatherhood Program, recognizing 22 fathers at a ceremony at Second Presbyterian Church. Each graduation represents real people who made the decision to pursue growth—not just for themselves, but for the children and families depending on them.

A celebration of showing up

Tomorrow’s graduates should be proud. Completing a program that asks men to examine their lives, build new skills, pursue employment goals and become more intentional parents is meaningful work.

The graduation also deserves the community’s attention because it shows what can happen when Memphis invests in fathers instead of writing them off.

AFIRM’s message is direct: A father’s involvement really matters.

For a child, that involvement may look like a dependable phone call, consistent support, a ride to school, help with homework, a job that brings stability to the household or a father learning how to communicate better with the child’s mother.

For Memphis, it looks like stronger families—and a stronger city.

Families Matter’s AFIRM program is supported through a grant contract with the State of Tennessee and is part of a Tennessee Department of Human Services-funded study examining how pilot programs can improve participants’ economic well-being.

Fathers interested in learning more about AFIRM can contact the program at 901-445-0115 or visit Families Matter’s AFIRM page.