Article at a Glance

Who is Corey and what makes his story different?

Corey is a dad who fell apart when things went wrong with his daughter, and then did something a lot of men don’t do: He went looking for help. His story stands out not just because of how far he’s come, but because of what he wants to do with it now.

What brought him to the EA Dads program?

A counseling referral pointed him toward Every Arkansan, and he showed up ready to work. He didn’t come in with all the answers, but honest about what he was missing and willing to do something about it.

What did he discover about himself along the way?

That a lot of what he needed had simply never been taught to him. His family was loving, but certain life skills, like navigating relationships, communicating, and really listening, were never passed down. Recognizing that wasn’t discouraging but freeing.

What does the program teach?

Real tools instead of just good intentions. For Corey, the biggest shift was learning how to listen. He’ll be the first to laugh about it, but he’ll also tell you it changed how he shows up for the people he loves.

What does Corey want other dads to know?

That this works, and that it’s worth it. He’s already telling everyone he knows about the program. After graduation, he wants to come back and volunteer. He came here trying to be a better dad, yet he’s leaving wanting to help other dads do the same.

Note: To protect his privacy, we’ve changed the name of the father featured in this story. But his journey is real, as is his courage and the change in his family’s life.

Corey doesn’t sugarcoat it.

“Man, I just fell apart,” he says. “She was my heart, my soul.”

When things went wrong with his daughter, there was no playing it cool or pushing through like nothing had happened. The weight of it hit him fully, because that’s what happens when you love someone and suddenly the relationship you’ve been counting on feels like it’s slipping away.

For a lot of dads, that’s the moment where things go one of two ways. You shut down, pull back, and let the distance grow. Or you feel the full weight of it and decide that falling apart isn’t where the story ends.

Corey chose the second one, because the love he had for his daughter was louder than the fear of admitting he needed help.

Looking for Help Anywhere He Could Find It

Once Corey decided something had to change, he didn’t wait for the right moment.

He started reaching out and looking for help anywhere he could find it. That kind of initiative might sound simple, but for a lot of men it’s anything but. There’s a weight that comes with admitting you don’t have it together, especially as a dad, when the person you’re trying to show up for is your own child.

But Corey pushed past that. A counseling referral eventually pointed him toward the EA Dads program at Every Arkansan. 

What he found there wasn’t what he expected. It was a place that met him where he was and gave him something to work with.

For Corey, a new door was now open. The question was what he’d do once he walked through.

The Gaps Nobody Talks About

Something unexpected happened when Corey started working through the program.

He realized that a lot of what he was missing hadn’t come from bad choices alone. It had come from things he was never taught in the first place.

His family was loving, and that’s something he’s clear about. However, certain things just never got passed down. Like how to handle conflict without it becoming something bigger or communicate in a way that brought people closer instead of pushing them away.

“We didn’t gain a lot of life skills,” he says. “How to deal with relationships and things like that.”

That kind of honesty takes courage. Because it’s easier to carry shame about where you are than to trace it back to what was never given to you. For a lot of dads in Arkansas, that’s the reality: not a lack of love, but a lack of tools that were never passed on to begin with.

The EA Dads Program

A lot of programs offer good intentions. The EA Dads program offers something more useful: tools for real life.

For Corey, the one that stuck most wasn’t a parenting technique or financial skill. It was communication.

Specifically, learning how to listen.

“Learning how to actually listen to somebody instead of just waiting for my turn to talk,” he says with a laugh. “I know I got a problem with that sometimes. I’m listening, but in my head I’m still thinking I’m right.”

There’s no defensiveness when Corey talks about it. Just a man who found something that clicked and isn’t afraid to admit what it revealed about him.

That’s what the EA Dads program is designed to do: give them the self-awareness and practical skills to start doing things differently in the everyday moments that add up to what kind of father, partner, and person you are.

For dads who grew up without those tools modeled for them, it can be life-changing.

Pause and Pray

Before you keep reading, we’d love for you to take 60 seconds for Corey and so many other parents like him.

Think about Corey. Think about the dads across Arkansas who grew up without the tools they needed, who love their kids deeply but don’t always know how to show it, and who are looking for someone to show them a better way.

Then, if you’re willing, pray.

Lord, we think of the fathers who are trying to figure out how to show up better. The ones who didn’t have everything modeled for them but haven’t stopped wanting more for their kids. Give them the humility to ask for help and the courage to keep showing up even when it’s hard. Bring people alongside them who will teach without judgment and walk without giving up. Remind us that the tools we take for granted are gifts worth passing on. Show us how to be part of what fills the gaps for the dads in our community who are ready to do the work. Amen.

Thank you for taking that moment.

From Graduate to Giver

Corey came to the EA Dads program with one goal: be a better dad. What he didn’t expect was to leave with a desire to make sure other dads had access to the same thing he found.

He’s already started, as his brother-in-law and girlfriend know about the program. Anyone who will listen has heard Corey talk about what it did for him.

“I get excited,” he says. “I just want to give back however I can.”

After graduation, he wants to come back and volunteer.

Corey walked in looking for tools to be a better father, but he’s walking out wanting to put those same tools in the hands of other dads who need them.

That’s a community getting stronger, one dad at a time.

How You Can Be Part of What He’s Building

Corey’s daughter is getting a better dad because someone opened a door for him.

And Corey, being Corey, is already holding it open for the next person by talking about the program and planning to come back and volunteer. That kind of generosity comes from someone who knows firsthand what it means to finally have support show up.

Right now, there are more dads out there just like him. Men who love their kids, who sense something is missing, and who just need someone to point them toward a door they didn’t know existed.

You can help make sure that door stays open.

Give. Your support funds the EA Dads program and the resources that give fathers like Corey tools to work with.

Volunteer. Show up and be part of the hands-on work that makes this possible. Corey wants to do exactly that after graduation.

Share his story. Most people have no idea programs like this exist. Passing this along could be the thing that points the right dad in the right direction at the right moment.

Corey came in for his daughter. He’s leaving for everyone he can reach.

There’s room for you in that mission too!