Local Leader to Host The Father Center of NJ's Annual Event

Princeton, NJ—Hal English, President and CEO at Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce will host the 16th Annual Platinum Dads Event to take place on June 19, 2021 from 10AM to 11:30AM. An active advocate for many local community service organizations and an experienced event host, Hal will entertain the audience with his quick wit, engaging stories and a trivia contest where ticket holders will be able to compete for prizes! Hal published a poignant book entitled Behind the Ivy Walls, based on the true story of a young, seemingly privileged boy, who experienced extreme trauma and tragedy living with an abusive stepfather. The book teaches us life lessons about the power of optimism and seizing each day as a gift highlighting the love of family and defines his safe place that he can now call home.

Karen Andrade-Mims, Executive Director of The Father Center, and her team want to make sure our community knows the importance of fathers both for families and in our society-at-large through an annual Platinum Dads Awards event, “Every year we get the distinct honor of illuminating the positive stories about men who are doing remarkable work in our region, and we love to give them the acknowledgement they deserve! We are so excited to work with Hal as our host, he is an amazing leader and resource in our community and has published a moving memoir on his own experiences with fatherhood."

Platinum Dads will take place safely and virtually as a web broadcast and will stream live from The Father Center’s new headquarters located at 1 West Street in Trenton on Saturday morning, June 19th from 10AM to 11:30AM EST.

The following men will be honored at the 2021 Platinum Dads event: Christopher R. Kinkade, Mayor Hemant Marathe, Dr. Jay Edward Purnsley, Kevin Leahy, William (Bill) Davis, Bilal Floyd, and Frank Lucchesi. Phillip J. Roundtree, the CEO and Founder of Quadefy LLC will provide an insightful presentation on fatherhood. Because of their deep on-going commitment to working with and alongside many nonprofit partners, and making sure experiences and activities in the cultural arts are intentionally made accessible to local residents, Grounds For Sculpture was unanimously selected by The Father Center’s Platinum Dads committee as the community service award recipient. Julio Badel, Manager of Experiential Programs who recently piloted an innovative sneaker design workshop for The Father Center’s Healthy Relationship, Health Choices program for 9th grade boys will accept the award on behalf of the organization.

Sponsorships are still available until June 14th for individuals and companies wanting to support and get exposure through one of New Jersey’s “feel good” events of the year. You may reach out to Karen Andrade-Mims, Executive Director to request a sponsor packet at kandrade-mims@thefathercenter.org.

Tickets go on sale today and can be purchased at the following link: https://www.thefathercenter.org/platinum-dads/. The Father Center of New Jersey’s goal is to raise awareness and much needed funds to support their diverse programming for fathers experiencing hardship, especially those displaced during the pandemic.