The
Commission

The CCC was initially organized in 2023 to monitor the implementation of Pennsylvania Act 114 of 2022, which established the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee on Greater Father Involvement within the Joint State Government Commission (JSGC)  and providing for its powers and duties. Governor Tom Wolf signed H.B. 1731, Printer’s Number 2953, on November 3, 2022, creating the Act.

 Leaders within the CCC who have had lived experience, advocating for societal change, too often witnessed when said advocacy had been achieved or was adopted, the leading advocates (those with the most skill), more often than not, moved on to the next advocacy project, leaving in charge, those (whether a person or persons, an organization or institution) who had control of or is responsible for someone or something. In fact, the Strong Families Commission’s own experience has been, those in charge are often obligated to produce an episode of change that they may or may not even understand fully, what is being asked of them, thus, running the risk of changing the original intent of what was fought for and won.

It is in this context that THE COMMISSION dared the thought of abandoning eight years of public service organizing across the Commonwealth, to raise the consciousness of Pennsylvanians that fathers can make tremendous contributions to the well-being of children and families. THE COMMISSION after careful thought, realized that not only could it not do everything that needed to be done, but that in a democracy, citizens have a right to participate in the planning of government policies and state funded programming.

Both THE COMMISSION and the organizers of the CCC agreed that citizen involvement across the state was extremely important, especially, when shaping policies that would affect child and family well-being. They also acknowledged that engaging citizens to work with elected officials was a challenging task, as citizenship in a democracy requires active participation, civility, and even patience.

However, the parties were not put-off, building on the faith of Commonwealth citizens’ recognition that they not only had rights, but had responsibilities, as well. Leadership understood that democracy requires an investment of time and hard work, conflicting with the challenges that most citizens face – Yet, a government of the people demands constant vigilance and support by its citizens.

In short, most Americans are aware that they must bear the burden of responsibility for their society, if they are to benefit from its protection of their rights, as well as the rights of members of their family. In addition, there must be a reason why all of the 253 members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, unanimously voted to establish a Pennsylvania Advisory Committee on Greater Father Involvement.

With this in mind, THE COMMISSION proceeded to file non-profit corporate papers with the Pennsylvania Department of State on April 1, 2024; install a Board of Directors on August 7^th of 2024 to manage the affairs of the corporation; and on August 27^th 2024, the CCC received its notification from the Federal Government that it had been approved as a 501 (c)(3) Federal Tax-Exempt Organization.

The answer to the question, why the need for a Commonwealth Citizens Council now? Evidence has shown that many local and state government leaders (elected or appointed) have been and are ready to move fatherhood forward.

Who are we, not to join forces with our government leaders, to help empower fathers to strengthen the well-being of children and families across the Commonwealth?