Our guest this week is William "Bill" Strickland, Jr. of Pittsburg, PA, a John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Genius Fellow, founder of Bidwell Training Center and Manchester Craftsman's Guild, an author, and a former pilot. Bill is the quintessential social entrepreneur. Through his love of the arts and specifically pottery, Bill has been offering welfare moms, out of work steel workers and at-risk youth vocational training in the arts and culinary worlds. Bill Strickland and his work offers new hope to displaced and underemployed workers around the country and we’re proud to have him be our guest for this 200th Special Father Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Personal website - http://www.bill-strickland.com/home.html
Email - wstricklandjr@mcg-btc.org
Website - https://www.manchesterbidwell.org
TED Talk - https://www.ted.com/speakers/bill_strickland
Harvard Video - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/voices/events/strickland/
Book - Make the Impossible Possible - https://www.amazon.com/Make-Impossible-Possible-Crusade-Inspire/dp/B00126MVLC/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PZ884T8PH292&keywords=Make+the+Impossible+Possible&qid=1651808547&s=audible&sprefix=make+the+impossible+possible+%2Caudible%2C414&sr=1-1

Special Fathers Network -
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 500+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated. There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through."

SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/about-the-special-fathers-network/

Check out the 21CD YouTube Channel with dozens of videos on topics relevant to dads raising children with special needs - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDFCvQimWNEb158ll6Q4cA

Please support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/