Dads & Kids: Health & Fitness Talk
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               Acknowledgments Covering the Early Months of Website Development
​

In spring 2014, I began to envision developing a website to support and expand my efforts to publish a book that explores the overlap between fathers’ and children’s health.  The book combines my analysis of interviews I've done with dads and pediatric health care professionals around the country as well as my personal insights as a health and fitness conscious dad.

I knew I was venturing into uncharted waters and needed technical computer assistance.  I turned to my top undergraduate student in my spring course, Carolina De La Rosa Mateo, who I knew had professional aspirations in the public health field.  Fortunately for me, she postponed her plans for studying abroad and accepted my offer to do an independent study during the summer.  From the outset, she established herself as a bright, creative, and dedicated professional.  With no significant prior experience designing websites, she essentially learned and applied free software to help me construct what has become the Kids & Dads: Health & Fitness Talk website. During the initial three months of development, she served as my primary sounding board and brain storming partner as I tried to create a resource that appeals to a diverse audience.  Thus, my most profound thanks goes to Carolina who, as the weeks unfolded, became much less my student and more my trusted colleague.  I’m thrilled that she agreed to be one of the inaugural bloggers to help launch this website.

Dr. Ramon Hinojosa, a former Ph.D. student of mine and now professor of sociology at the University of Central Florida, also stepped up in the initial months to volunteer his services as an emerging documentarian.  Ray's willingness to direct and produce, pro bono, the first mini documentary connected to this website, “Dads: Helping Shape Kids Eating Habit,” helped to energize and diversify the project.  I look forward to our continued collaboration on creating video-based messages for fathers and children about health and fitness issues.  

Another former student, Chris Errico, provided helpful support in gathering materials, filming, and offering feedback on different features of the website.  As a father of two, his enthusiasm for the project reassured me that I was on the right track.

I’m grateful to David Bell, Tim and Timothy Connor, Gerard Duncan, and Andy Farina who saw the value of this project and agreed to join Carolina and me as the initial bloggers for the website before it was ever launched.  I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.

Finally, I would like to thank Candace Hollinger, a graphic designer, who helped refine the initial logo I constructed with Carolina’s help.

August 24, 2014


                                    Acknowledgements for the Months Beyond  

​Moving forward, I’m thrilled that Miranda Schonbrun, a former student who did exceptional editorial work on my book manuscript, agreed to serve as a support professional for the web-based project during the fall 2014.   I'm similarly grateful that another student, Tori Adams, committed herself to helping me expand and polish this site during the fall 2014.  Miranda and Tori were instrumental in working with me to generate the Teachers' Corner and Kids' Corner subpages.  In the spring 2015, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Dain Simpkins, a recent talented student of mine, to create the Dads' Corner subpage. 

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