The Mother of The Father Center of New Jersey

Mercer County, New Jersey—In 1859, one of the first charities in America, and the oldest nonprofit in New Jersey to address the needs of children and families began its work in Mercer County. The organization was titled Union Industrial Home for Children and served as an orphanage for a century. As the needs of the community evolved, so did the organization, and today, the agency has an updated name, logo and branding. As it is now known, The Father Center of New Jersey provides dynamic programming for those residing in mid New Jersey and beyond with workforce development offerings such as the Bridges to Success program supporting men who are looking to find a job, better support their family, and gain the tools to build stronger families. The Father Center also offers computer literacy courses, Dress2Impress, and a weekly outreach program for 9th graders called Healthy Relationships, Healthy Choices, aimed at providing young men the opportunity to gain education, skills, leadership acumen and engage in authentic and necessary discussions about sensitive topics such as consent, sex education and relationship boundaries.

Every successful and thriving organization has a captain steering the ship, and for The Father Center of New Jersey, that captain happens to be a woman. Karen Andrade-Mims, the Executive Director of The Father Center is often thought of as the Matriarch of Trenton. A vivacious leader with boundless energy, Karen began her tenure at The Father Center as a board member and when the organization’s business model was unable to endure a drastic cut in funding, Karen was tapped in 2008 to right the ship, and to rescue the organizations’ legacy of helping families. Changing the business model meant making difficult decisions, laying off some employees and rolling up her sleeves, alongside her colleagues, to dig out of debt and to re-envision a sustainable model of programming. The transition years were tough, but the organization enjoyed a rebirth in 2010 when the mission shifted to provide services to dads, especially dads who represented a minority, were experiencing unemployment or were being marginalized.

As it turns out, supporting fathers with evidence-based programming filled a much-needed gap in the region. An extensive body of research confirms children with involved fathers perform better across nearly every measure of child wellbeing. From cognitive development and academic achievement to self-esteem and healthy, pro-social behavior. Programs designed specifically to support fathers in their role as parents, however, are relatively new to the policy landscape. Fatherhood programs have evolved from focusing on a father’s financial support role to a more balanced approach that emphasizes healthy relationships, parenting skills, financial literacy, nutrition and the power of a positive role model.

Karen’s daughter, Bethany Andrade Siddiqu states “To the world my mother holds the title of Executive Director of The Father Center, but to her friends and family she holds many titles - Ma, Mama K, Sister, Aunt, Soror and her greatest title, ‘Glammy!’ She is the light of our family and I am forever grateful for all the sacrifices she has made for me, to shape me into the mother, wife and social worker I am today. My mother was my ‘role model’ before I even knew what the word meant. One of my fondest memories is going to community health fairs with my mom, at the age of seven or eight, passing out pamphlets and health related information to community members in Trenton. Spending Saturdays at these events, taught me at a young age, the importance of giving back to my community. And, watching my mother smile and light up as she spoke with each person passing by filled my heart with so much joy and pride. My mother's legacy is unmatched, she has transformed so many lives and has always been a devoted leader, advocate and overall boss when it comes to enhancing community-based initiatives and leading nonprofit organizations. She has overcome challenges with grace and has an unwavering commitment to uplifting fathers and fatherhood.”

Karen’s sibling, Dr. Melvin A. Jenkins who works as a Professor and Chairperson at Indiana University of Pennsylvania writes, “Obviously, I’ve known Karen for my entire life (smile). For as long as I can remember, Karen has been a leader and influencer of others. I recall her time with the Brownies and later the Girl Scouts, and throughout that season Karen always strove for excellence. As we moved into our later teens, I remember that her large friend group was significantly influenced by her leadership and ability to build coalitions. I think it’s safe to say that Karen has always been a natural born leader.”

Duncan Harrison who is the Associate Executive Director at The Father Center stated “Karen Andrade-Mims exemplifies what it means to be a leader and stay true to the mission. She leads from the heart with compassion and focuses on impacting the lives of families across the country. It’s been a great experience learning from a steadfast leader like Karen.”

There are so many accomplishments Karen is proud of achieving at The Father Center, but a few milestones stand out, especially the most recent renaming of the organization (The Father Center of New Jersey was formerly known as UIH Family Partners.) She feels the name change really “identifies who we are and what we do.” The move to the new office space at 1 West State Street and the expansion to serving fathers in Burlington County also top her list.

Prevention is a big deal for Karen and working to try to prevent young men from becoming fathers too early in their emerging adult lives has become a major focus. Karen does not recall ever having a formal mentor, but mentioned her friend and respected colleague Calvin Thomas as a big influence over the last 25 years. “Calvin has always been a cheerleader and has helped coach me and the leadership staff at the agency.” He and his son Andre Thomas are consultants and co-facilitate the Healthy Relationships, Healthy Choices program together. Another influencer for Karen is Marge Smith, who leads Princeton Community Works. Karen says Marge is the ultimate connector and always works for the greater good.

What’s around the corner for Karen? When asked, she stated “I am excited about the high-quality services we are now providing on a virtual platform, we will continue, as now we know we can reach men across New Jersey and also into other communities where fatherhood programming is not offered.” Karen would love to see The Father Center open another satellite office in northern New Jersey, so each region of the state will be covered.

At the end of my conversation with Karen’s daughter Bethany, she chimed in, “When I think of my mom as a mother and as a director, this quote from Proverbs comes to mind: She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her.”

There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, Karen surpasses the majority. Happy Mother’s Day to the Mother of The Father Center of New Jersey! To learn more about The Father Center’s programming or to make a donation to the agency go to the agency's website.