Our guest this week is Chris Mallette of Chicago, IL, father of four and director of community engagement and head football coach at Chicago Hope Academy. Chris also does violence prevention consulting.

Chris and his wife, Kendall, have been married for 28 years and are the proud parents of four: Luke (26), Zion (24), Judah (19) and Levi (16).  Their family has been touched by mental health challenges, including; severe anxiety, depression, OCD and bi-polar.  

Chicago Hope Academy is a Christian College Prep High School with an average class size of 15 students.  275 students attend Chicago Hope with about 70 students in each grade level.  Perhaps most impressively, 100% of the graduates are accepted into college

Chris earned a BA in history from Princeton University, a law degree from University of Pennsylvania and was a public interest scholar.

In addition to being the director of community engagement, Chris is the varsity football coach and has lead the team to many championships.  While proud of the teams' successes, he is most proud of his student/players who are overcoming the circumstances of their birth place.  His mentorship to his students and players goes well beyond the playing field.  

It's a uplifting story about faith, family, perseverance and serving others all on this episode of the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Notes -
Phone – (773) 991-7101
Email - cmallette@chicagohopeacademy.org
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-mallette-837b6741/
Chicago Hope Academy - https://chicagohopeacademy.org/

Special Fathers Network - 
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 800+ 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.

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/videos

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

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/